Lithuania says balloons disrupting air visitors are despatched by smugglers transporting contraband cigarettes from Belarus into the EU.
Revealed On 27 Oct 2025
Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene has stated Lithuania will begin to shoot down smuggler balloons crossing from Belarus and likewise shut its border crossings with the neighbouring nation following repeated interruptions to its air visitors.
“Right this moment now we have determined to take the strictest measures, there isn’t a different method,” Ruginiene advised a information convention on Monday, saying the crossings can be closed aside from journey by diplomats and by European Union residents leaving Belarus.
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NATO and European Union member Lithuania closed Vilnius Airport 4 instances final week after balloons entered its airspace. Every time, it quickly shut its Belarus border crossings in response to the incidents.
Calling the incidents “hybrid assaults”, Ruginiene stated her cupboard will meet on Wednesday to resolve whether or not to delay the closure of the Belarus border crossings, the BNS information company reported.
She additionally stated it could additionally focus on Lithuania invoking NATO Article 4, which states any member nation can request a session with others every time it believes its “territorial integrity, political independence or safety is threatened”.
European aviation has repeatedly been thrown into chaos in latest weeks by drone sightings and different air incursions, together with at airports in Copenhagen, Munich and the Baltic area.
Lithuania has stated balloons are despatched by smugglers transporting contraband cigarettes from Belarus into the EU, however the nation additionally blames Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a detailed ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, for not stopping the observe.
There was no quick remark from Belarus.
Belarusian opposition chief Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who lives in exile in Lithuania, stated in written feedback to The Related Press information company that the balloon incidents have been “yet one more signal that the regime is utilizing cigarette smuggling as a instrument of hybrid aggression towards Europe”.
On Thursday, Lithuania stated two Russian navy plane entered its airspace for about 18 seconds, prompting a proper protest and a response from NATO forces, whereas Russia denied the incident.
Lithuanian Overseas Minister Kestutis Budrys stated latest airspace violations shouldn’t be thought to be remoted incidents.
“These are calculated provocations designed to destabilize, distract (and) take a look at NATO’s resolve,” Budrys wrote on X.
