14 March 2022 - PM Andrej Plenković said on Monday the unmanned aerial vehicle that had flown in from Ukraine and crashed in Zagreb last Thursday carried explosive, a sort of bomb, and the ongoing investigation was aimed at establishing who had launched the drone and how, and if it had been a mistake, sabotage or plan.
Speaking to reporters after a session of his HDZ party leadership, Plenković thus corroborated claims previously presented by Defence Minister Mario Banožić.
"We held a meeting today with all the relevant bodies that are together investigating what happened. We have obtained preliminary information on the type of the military drone in question. For the sake of informing the public, I want to say that what Minister Banožić has said is true, the drone carried explosive, a sort of bomb. The investigation will determine the exact type."
Plenković stressed that "the information published so far by numerous experts is wrong."
"What is correct is that the drone carried explosive. The good thing is that there were no serious consequences, there were no casualties," he said.
The ongoing investigation is aimed at determining who had launched the drone towards Croatia and how, he said.
"Was it a mistake, sabotage or plan? We do not have answers to those questions and we are looking for them together with our partners and allies, with the other countries over whose territory the drone flew," the PM said.
The drone, a Soviet-made Tupolev Tu-141 Strizh, crashed near a student dorm in the Jarun district of southwest Zagreb shortly after 11 pm on Thursday, damaging about 40 cars in a nearby car park. No one was hurt.
It came from Ukraine, flying over Romania and Hungary, both NATO members, at a speed of 700 km/h at an altitude of 1,300 m, before entering Croatia's air space and crashing down in Zagreb.
