Lithuania Declares Emergency as Belarusian Balloons Intrude

Sat Dec 20 2025 10:34:02 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

In response to incursions of balloons carrying smuggled cargo from Belarus, Lithuania has declared a nationwide emergency, citing national security and civil aviation risks.

Lithuania's government has officially declared a nationwide emergency due to repeated incursions of weather balloons linked to cigarette smuggling from Belarus. Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene labeled the influx as a 'hybrid attack' threatening national security, while Belarus denies any wrongdoing. The situation highlights ongoing tensions between Lithuania and Belarus amid broader regional security concerns.

The Lithuanian government has declared a 'nationwide emergency situation' in response to a series of incursions from neighbouring Belarus by weather balloons carrying smuggled cigarettes.

Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene condemned the balloon incursions as a 'hybrid attack' by Belarus that posed a real risk to national security and civil aviation.

This year alone, officials say about 600 balloons linked to smuggling and almost 200 drones have entered Lithuanian airspace, leading to the repeated closure of Vilnius airport.

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko denies being behind the incursions, alleging the issue has been 'politicised' by Lithuania, which is a member of both the EU and NATO.

Lithuania's decision to impose an 'emergency situation' is a step below a state of emergency, which was last imposed in 2022 after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It grants the armed forces additional powers to respond faster and more effectively.

Belarus's long-time leader is a close ally of Russia's Vladimir Putin and Lithuania's President, Gitanas Nauseda, has said there is a lot of evidence that the balloon threat is a 'deliberate action aimed at destabilising the situation in Lithuania'.

A number of European countries have faced a range of threats from Russia, which the EU has condemned as a 'hybrid campaign' that includes sabotage, disruption to critical infrastructure, and most recently drone flights near sensitive sites.

Last month, the head of NATO's military committee, Adml Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, said the Western military alliance was considering a more 'aggressive' or 'pro-active' stance to Russia's hybrid warfare.

Lithuania has accused Belarus of this type of provocation before. Four years ago, thousands of irregular migrants mostly from the Middle East crossed the Belarusian border.

The weather balloons can fly to a height of 10km (6 miles), and Lithuania's interior ministry says they have led to Vilnius airport being closed for more than 60 hours since October.

Authorities said they intercepted 11 smuggling balloons and seized almost 40,000 packets of cigarettes.

Although flights into and out of Vilnius airport were disrupted for only a short period, it affected 1,000 passengers. Aviation security concerns continue as the situation unfolds.