---
title: "Drone Shot Down in Lithuania Turns Out to Be a Russian 'Gerbera': Nausėda Explains Why It Was Off Course"
description: "Lithuanian President Nausėda confirmed that the drone shot down over the country on September 15 was a Russian 'Gerbera.' According to his version, the UAV was redirected by Ukrainian electronic warfare and drifted into Lithuanian airspace."
date: 2026-09-16T16:40:01.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/lithuania-drone-gerbera-nauseda-explains
tags: [lithuania, russia, drone, gerbera, nato, air-defense, ukraine, nauseda]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Drone Shot Down in Lithuania Turns Out to Be a Russian 'Gerbera': Nausėda Explains Why It Was Off Course

![Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda in front of the national flag commenting on the downed Russian Gerbera drone](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/17/litva-sbityi-dron-gerbera-nauseda/litva-sbityi-dron-gerbera-nauseda-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- The drone shot down in Lithuania on September 15 has been identified as a Russian 'Gerbera'-type UAV
- Nausėda believes the drone was intended for Ukraine but was redirected by Ukrainian Armed Forces electronic warfare systems
- The President of Lithuania warned of a possible increase in such incidents and called for developing alternative air defense means
- A similar alarm in Lithuania on September 13 turned out to be false — the cause was a flock of birds

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda, in an interview with the publication Delfi, confirmed that the unmanned aerial vehicle that violated the country's airspace on the night of September 15 and was shot down by NATO fighter jets was a Russian "Gerbera"-type drone. According to the head of state, experts are currently analyzing the electronic components of the downed device, and preliminary assessments suggest that it will be possible to recover some data on exactly where the drone came from, what its trajectory was, and under what circumstances it ended up over Lithuanian territory.

### The Ukrainian EW Redirection Theory

Nausėda put forward a working hypothesis: most likely, this Russian drone was originally intended to strike targets on Ukrainian territory. However, in the president's view, it was neutralized by the electronic warfare systems of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which led to a loss of targeting and a change in trajectory. As a result, the device drifted and entered Lithuanian airspace, where it was intercepted and destroyed by NATO fighter jets. The president emphasized that final conclusions will be drawn after the technical examination of the drone's electronic block is completed.

### Warning About a Rising Number of Incidents

Gitanas Nausėda did not rule out that there may be more such incidents in the future. "The most important thing is that we are able to detect them in a timely manner, preferably still over the territory of neighboring countries, so that we can respond faster, because we really have very little time to prepare," the president stated. He called for seeking alternative ways to neutralize drones, not limiting efforts exclusively to missile air defense systems. "There is a whole range of air defense means, short-range drone interceptors, and these should be alternative options," he clarified.

### Strengthening Integrated Air Defense and the 'Bird Incident'

The President of Lithuania emphasized that the country is actively strengthening its integrated air defense system, but acknowledged that there are still malfunctions in its operation. "Yes, incidents still happen, sometimes causing anger, sometimes a smile, like that unfortunate incident with the birds. We want the risk to people's lives to be minimized as much as possible," Nausėda noted. This refers to the events of September 13, when in Lithuania the Vilnius airport was closed and a NATO fighter jet was scrambled due to a suspicious object in the air, only for it to turn out that the cause of the alarm was a flock of birds.

### Timeline of the September 15 Incident

On the night of September 15, a yellow-level air threat was declared in Lithuania. The drone violated the country's airspace, after which NATO fighter jets on duty under the collective defense system intercepted and destroyed it. No casualties or damage on the ground were recorded. The incident became one of the first confirmed cases of a Russian UAV penetrating the airspace of a NATO member state, which automatically activates the mechanisms of Articles 4 and 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty in terms of consultations and collective response.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Drone shot down by NATO fighter jets in Lithuania turns out to be a Russian 'Gerbera', - Nausėda](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/dron-zbitiy-vinishchuvachami-nato-litvi-viyavivsya-1789576621.html) - Подтверждает идентификацию дрона как «Герберы», цитирует Науседу по Delfi, описывает ход анализа электроники и версию о РЭБ ВСУ.
- [Nausėda: drone shot down in Lithuania was likely intended for Ukraine](https://glob-news.com/nayseda-sbityi-v-litve-dron-veroiatno-prednaznachalsia-dlia-ykrainy.html) - Согласуется с основной версией: дрон предназначался для Украины, перенаправлен РЭБ. Подтверждает хронологию 15 сентября.
- [Drone shot down in Lithuania belongs to Russia](https://www.azattyq.org/a/litvada-qulatylgan-dron-reseige-tiesili/33857950.html) - Казахскоязычный источник подтверждает российскую принадлежность сбитого дрона и факт нарушения воздушного пространства Литвы.
- [President of Lithuania: shot-down drone turns out to be a Russian 'Gerbera'](https://rus.delfi.ee/statja/120611248/prezident-litvy-sbityy-dron-okazalsya-rossiyskoy-gerberoy) - Первоисточник цитирования (Delfi). Полностью совпадает по содержанию с другими материалами.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: Which exact drone was shot down in Lithuania on September 15?
**A:** President Gitanas Nausėda confirmed that it was a Russian unmanned aerial vehicle of the 'Gerbera' type. The device's electronic components are currently being analyzed to recover data on its trajectory and point of departure.

### Q: Why did the drone fly toward Lithuania instead of Ukraine?
**A:** According to Nausėda's version, the drone was initially directed at targets in Ukraine but was neutralized by the electronic warfare systems of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This led to a loss of targeting, and the device drifted, ultimately entering Lithuanian airspace. This version is the president's assessment and will be confirmed or refuted following the technical examination.

### Q: What happened in Lithuania on September 13?
**A:** On September 13, the Vilnius airport was closed and a NATO fighter jet was scrambled in Lithuania due to a suspicious object in the air. It later turned out that the cause of the alarm was a flock of birds. Nausėda mentioned this episode as an example of a false alarm in the air defense system.

### Q: What measures is Lithuania taking to strengthen its air defense?
**A:** Lithuania is strengthening its integrated air defense system. Nausėda called for using not only missiles but also short-range drone interceptors and other alternative means. He also emphasized the importance of early detection of threats while they are still over the territory of neighboring countries.