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Balloons from Belarus/ Lithuania declares "emergency situation"

2025-12-09 17:06:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Balloons from Belarus/ Lithuania declares "emergency situation"

Lithuania declared a "state of emergency" on December 9 due to an influx of balloons launched by smugglers into neighboring Belarus, describing it as a "hybrid attack" orchestrated by Minsk.

The measure announced is a lower level than the declaration of a "state of emergency" which can only be declared by Parliament when the "constitutional order" is threatened.

Lithuania had previously declared a state of emergency due to an influx of migrants in 2021, also describing it as a hybrid attack.

"All institutions are joining forces to address the threat posed by smuggling balloons," Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene said in a statement.

Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovic, who will oversee efforts to combat the balloons, said the declaration of a state of emergency allows the military to participate in border operations.

He told reporters that the announcement was necessary to "unify and coordinate services," stressing that this decision will have no impact on the public.

The balloons, which carry cigarettes and can fly up to 10 kilometers in altitude, have been passing over Lithuanian territory for several months now.

As a result, Lithuania's two largest airports, in Vilnius and Kaunas, have been forced to halt operations on several occasions, in what officials claim is a deliberate attack on civil aviation.

Lithuania, a member of NATO and the European Union, has long accused Belarus, a close ally of Russia, of waging "hybrid warfare," which includes conventional and unconventional tactics.

Balloon activity, which increased in October, forced the Baltic state to temporarily close two border crossings with Belarus at the end of the month. /REL





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