The Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs officially handed Belarus a protest note over the launches of smuggled balloons from Belarusian territory on January 27. This information was confirmed by a Lithuanian broadcaster, noting the incident and the government’s reaction.
The Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that repeated violations of airspace by Belarus are serious breaches of international law and pose a threat to the security of the country and the region.
According to Lithuanian security services, January 27 saw the largest previously recorded raid of smuggled balloons from Belarus; as a result, Vilnius Airport had to suspend air traffic three times.
On January 28, the country’s police found eight smuggled balloons, four people were arrested, and remnants of several balloons were discovered. The Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed to the Belarusian ambassador’s representative that if incidents recur, Lithuania reserves the right to reinstate border movement restrictions or take other measures.
Hybrid Threat and International Reactions
Lithuania regards such balloon actions as a hybrid threat to the security of the country and the region.
Earlier it emerged that a balloon carrying smuggled cigarettes landed in central Vilnius; a man who approached to collect the cargo wounded a police officer and fled the scene.
John Cole, the special envoy to U.S. President Donald Trump, stated that Lukashenko promised to stop flights of meteorological balloons from Belarus to Lithuania.
In the night from 27 to 28 October, Vilnius International Airport temporarily closed due to balloons flying from Belarus. Also in the night from 25 to 26 October flights were suspended due to similar threats, causing some flights to be delayed or canceled.
Prime Minister Inga Rugienė convened a meeting of the National Security Committee, during which a decision was made to close the border with Belarus, which was approved on October 29. Overall, since October 27, air traffic in the country due to these balloons had been disrupted at least five times.
By November 30, 2025, the Šalčininkai and Medininkai border checkpoints on the Belarus border were to be closed, but they were opened earlier – on November 20. At the same time, Prime Minister Inga Rugienė stressed that if the situation with smuggled balloons worsens again, authorities reserve the right to revive the border closures.
On December 1, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the EU could impose new sanctions against Belarus over breaches of Lithuanian airspace and hybrid balloon attacks. On December 9, Lithuania declared a state of emergency nationwide due to mass launches of smuggled balloons from the territory of Belarus.
As of the end of 2025, the situation in the region remained tense: Lithuanian authorities pledged to continue acting in accordance with the country’s security interests and to adhere to the decisions of international partners in response to threats from Belarus.