“We are seeing more and more hybrid actions,” State Border Guard Service (VSAT) head Rustamas Liubajevas told LRT Radio. “This is not new as the Belarusian regime has targeted Lithuania before.”
He said Minsk was exploiting the balloon-smuggling issue for propaganda, seeking to shift blame onto Lithuania.
“Lukashenko’s propagandists now claim Lithuanians themselves are organising the smuggling,” he said, adding that reports create the “impression Lithuanians are practically producing cigarettes in Grodno,” which he dismissed as false.
Liubajevas said the Belarusian regime relies on criminal networks to facilitate the operations.
“Lukashenko’s regime uses criminals on both the Belarusian and Lithuanian sides to achieve its goals,” he said, adding that Lithuanian authorities were targeting domestic groups involved in smuggling, including by balloon.
Lithuania is stepping up its response to Belarus’ hybrid attacks after a surge in smuggling balloons forced repeated airport closures, including two latest shutdowns at Vilnius Airport on Sunday night.
The Government temporarily closed the border at the end of October and has since convened several National Security Commission meetings as the issue gains attention domestically and internationally.
Last week, a number of suspects were detained in a nationwide operation coordinated by VSAT, involving more than 100 officers, who carried out over 30 searches in Vilnius, Druskininkai and districts of Varėna and Šalčininkai.
Officers seized weapons, contraband cigarettes and GPS devices used to transport cigarettes by air.
Authorities say more than 100 people involved in smuggling by air had already been identified before the raids.