The German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock does not rule out the possibility that the crash of a cargo plane belonging to the German logistics company DHL in Vilnius could be classified as a so-called "hybrid incident."
Baerbock made this statement on the sidelines of the G7 foreign ministers' meeting in Italy. One crew member died as a result of the crash, and three others were injured. The DHL plane was en route from Leipzig to Vilnius.
Annalena Baerbock, German Foreign Minister: "We now need to seriously question whether this was an accident or, following last week, yet another hybrid incident? This illustrates the turbulent times we are living in at the heart of Europe."
The cause of the plane crash remains unknown, and an investigation is underway. Lithuanian officials have stated that the possibility of sabotage cannot be ruled out, but they emphasize that there is currently no concrete evidence.
Last month, representatives of Western security services warned that Russian military intelligence might carry out sabotage acts against countries in retaliation for their support of Ukraine.
Darius Jauniskis, head of Lithuania's intelligence, confirmed these concerns: "The State Security Department, along with the Operational Services Department, warned that such incidents are possible in the future. We see that Russia is becoming increasingly aggressive."
Lithuanian Defense Minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas said: "Based on the information I have at this moment, I can state that there are no confirming facts that this was some kind of sabotage or terrorist act. But the investigation will answer all questions."
Aviation experts who spoke with local media did not notice anything unusual while listening to the communications between the crew and the air traffic controller.
Vidas Kaupelis, aviation expert: "It seems that this was a routine situation from the crew's perspective – standard communication between the controller and the pilot. No emergency was declared, and there were no reports of technical failures or fires."
Germany and Spain will assist Lithuanian authorities in the investigation.