Lithuania Has Declared A State Of Emergency After Belarus Repeatedly Sent Weather Balloons Into Its Airspace
“In combating the Belarusian hybrid attack, we must take the strictest measures and defend the areas most affected by this attack,” Inga Ruginienė said.
Lithuania declared a state of emergency on Tuesday, Dec. 9, after dozens of weather balloons from Belarus repeatedly flew into and violated its airspace, raising serious safety and security concerns.
The balloons mostly contained smuggled contraband cigarettes that carried Belarus excise stamps.
Lithuanian officials have accused Belarus of launching at least 599 weather balloons in 2025 to smuggle cigarettes into Lithuania, as well as 197 drones, according to the New York Times.
Officials say the balloons have forced the closure of Lithuania’s main airport several times since October, disrupting 350 flights, stranding more than 50,000 passengers and causing about US$873,000 in damage.
Lithuanian prime minister Inga Ruginienė accused Belarus of carrying out a “hybrid attack” by allowing or orchestrating the balloon incursions, calling them a threat to civil aviation and national security.
“In combating the Belarusian hybrid attack, we must take the strictest measures and defend the areas most affected by this attack,” she said.
The balloons have been used to smuggle cigarettes into Lithuania before, but the frequency and impact of the incursions have escalated since October, elevating the issue into a broader security threat.
Under the emergency declaration, the military is authorized to assist police and border guards for up to three months in border patrol operations, including the potential use of force against threats.
On Tuesday, Dec. 16, authorities arrested 21 people allegedly connected to a criminal network that smuggled cigarettes using the weather balloons coming from Belarus.
Lithuanian officials said in a statement that investigators seized cigarettes with Belarusian excise stamps, SIM cards, communication and tracking signal jammers and firearms among other things carried by the balloons, according to AP.
Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko has denied the accusations, saying Lithuania was exaggerating and “politicizing” the problem, while insisting that Belarus does not want a war with its neighbors.
US’ special envoy John Coale said on Saturday, Dec. 13, that Lukashenko had promised to stop balloons following two days of talks in Minsk.
Lithuania has made similar accusations before, declaring a state of emergency in 2021 over a surge of migrants crossing from Belarus, an influx it also described as a hybrid attack.
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