Lithuania has declared a state of emergency after a surge of smuggled balloons drifting in from Belarus triggered repeated shutdowns of Vilnius Airport and raised broader public-safety concerns, the government announced on Tuesday.
Officials say Belarusian smugglers have been using weather balloons to float contraband cigarettes across the border — an unusual tactic that has forced air traffic suspensions and strained border-security resources.
Authorities have not yet specified how long the emergency measures will remain in place.
Minsk denies any role in the balloon operations, instead accusing Lithuania of staging provocations, including allegedly deploying a drone to drop “extremist material” on Belarusian territory. Vilnius, a NATO and EU member state, has dismissed the claims as baseless.
The dispute adds to already fraught relations between the neighbors, following Belarus’ support for Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine and ongoing border-security tensions across the region.
