Lithuanian drones intended for Ukraine are stuck in warehouses, according to LRT.

The Lithuanian-made drones that were supposed to be delivered to Ukraine by the end of 2024 are still sitting in military warehouses in Lithuania. 

This is reported by the Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT.

One of the companies supplying drones for Ukraine claims that the equipment was delivered several months ago. “We delivered part of the drones in October and part in November, but we still have no information about the drones being transported to Ukraine,” says Thomas Milašauskas, the head of the company “RSI Europe.” The company has not yet been invited to train Ukrainians on how to use the drones. 

Some other companies have also confirmed that they have no information regarding the transportation of drones to Ukraine. There is no information because the drones are still in Lithuania, reports LRT.

Bureaucracy is to blame, says former Minister of National Defense Laurynas Kaščiūnas. He explains that in order for goods to reach their final destination, six steps must be followed.

“The bureaucracy is such: there are warehouses, the Defense Resources Agency must formally hand it over to the army, the government must make a decision on transferring it to Ukraine, then it needs to be transported to Ukraine... This means that we need to muster the will and complete each step as quickly as possible,” Kaščiūnas said.

The steps are logical, but if there is a delay at any stage, it stalls the entire process. Drone manufacturers say that the delivery of equipment to Ukraine needs to happen as quickly as possible.

The head of the parliamentary committee on national security and defense, Gediminas Kirkilas, believes this situation should serve as a signal to review the entire system. 

The Ministry of Defense states that the drones purchased from Lithuanian manufacturers will be delivered to Ukraine soon. The department claims that the chain is already shortening.

In August, five Lithuanian drone manufacturers successfully conducted tests in Ukraine. Lithuania has purchased nearly 5,000 drones for the Armed Forces at a cost of 5 million euros. Additionally, 2,300 combat drones worth 3 million euros were bought for the Lithuanian army.

Background. Earlier, Mind reported that Ukraine plans to purchase Italian air defense systems and ammunition using profits from frozen Russian assets.