The intrusion of smuggling balloons has recently led to repeated diversions of flights over Lithuanian airspace.image: x.com
Lithuania declares an “emergency” due to ongoing smuggling of balloons from Belarus. National security and air traffic are threatened.
December 9, 2025, 1:46 p.mDecember 9, 2025, 1:46 p.m
The Lithuanian government has declared a national “emergency” due to the ongoing intrusion of smuggling balloons coming from Belarus. Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovich justifies the move not only with disruptions to air traffic, but also with national security interests.
The Lithuanian government has declared a national “emergency” due to the ongoing intrusion of smuggling balloons coming from Belarus. Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovich justifies the move not only with disruptions to air traffic, but also with national security interests.
The “emergency” authorizes the government and local authorities to allocate additional resources to the fight against the balloons. “We do not rule out going further,” added the head of government. A possible stronger step would be to declare a state of emergency.
The country’s two largest airports in Vilnius and Kaunas had to repeatedly suspend operations due to the intrusion of smuggling balloons. According to officials, the balloons, which fly up to ten kilometers high, are specifically sent into the flight paths of airports and represent an attack on civil aviation.
Thousands of trucks are stuck in Belarus
Smugglers have long used the balloons to transport cigarettes, but airports have only been forced to close in recent months.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks of an “unacceptable hybrid attack”. At the end of October, Lithuania closed the two border crossings to Belarus.
Belarus then prevented Lithuanian trucks from using its roads and only let them leave the country after paying a fee. Thousands of Lithuanian trucks remain stuck in Belarus. Minsk is calling for consultations with the Foreign Ministry in Vilnius, while Lithuania is calling for tougher sanctions against Belarus.