Lithuania Plans Indefinite Border Closure Over Balloons

Lithuania has drawn up plans to shut its border crossings with Belarus indefinitely after repeated incursions by suspected smuggler helium balloons that have disrupted flights at Vilnius and Kaunas airports this month. Authorities said they detected “tens of balloons,” closed airports and crossings on multiple days, and that more than 170 flights were disrupted, affecting almost 30,000 passengers. Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė said diplomats and EU citizens would be exempt, authorized Lithuanian forces to shoot down balloons coming from Belarus, and said the government may seek NATO Article 4 consultations. Vilnius blames Belarusian smugglers and the Lukashenko regime for using cigarette-smuggling balloons as a form of hybrid pressure, a view echoed by exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. Officials said the problem is large and ongoing—966 balloons entered Lithuania last year and more than 500 so far this year—and noted similar incidents in Poland. Reported Russian aircraft activity in the area has prompted NATO air responses, highlighting broader regional security tensions.