Lithuania announced this week that it will close its border with Belarus for one month in response to a series of balloon incursions from the Belarusian side. The decision underscores the country’s determination to counter what it views as ongoing aggressive acts by the Belarusian authorities.
The border shutdown follows a recent wave of Belarusian balloons entering Lithuanian airspace. The incursions have prompted airport closures and cause significant travel disruption, with more than 170 flights affected during October. On Sunday night alone, Lithuanian authorities detected 66 airborne objects heading from Belarus into the Baltic country.
Minsk has sought to downplay the incursions as a mere cigarette smuggling operation, but Vilnius insists the balloons are part of a broader hybrid war being waged by Russia and Belarus against Europe. “Smuggling in this case is just a subtext or a means for a hybrid attack against Lithuania. We have a lot of evidence, both direct and indirect, that this is a deliberate action aimed at destabilizing the situation in Lithuania,” commentedLithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda. He warned of additional countermeasures, including restrictions on Belarusian rail transit and unified EU-wide sanctions mirroring those imposed on Russia.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen echoed Nausėda’s comments and expressed solidarity with Lithuania, calling the Belarusian balloons a “hybrid threat” that Europe will not tolerate. She linked the issue to the European Union’s broader push for enhanced military readiness, particularly in terms of airspace defense capabilities against the growing threat posed by Russian drones and aircraft.
Voice of Ukraine 