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Lithuania’s government on Tuesday declared a national emergency over security risks posed by meteorological balloons sent from Russia-allied Belarus that have violated its airspace in recent weeks, while the Belarusian leader called for negotiations on border tensions and said his country “does not need war.”
The balloons forced Lithuania to repeatedly shut down its main airport, stranding thousands of people, as Europe remains on alert over previous intrusions into NATO airspace during the war in Ukraine.
“In combating the Belarusian hybrid attack, we must take the strictest measures and defend the areas most affected by this attack,” Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė said.
The announcement followed a cabinet meeting of the Baltic state, which is a NATO member and strong backer of Ukraine in its fight against Russian forces who launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022.
The national emergency means the army will be able to patrol the border area together with other uniformed services and receive extra rights from parliament, such as to conduct searches or detain people.
The government said the impact on civilians would be limited.
While the balloons are used to smuggle cigarettes into Lithuania, officials in Vilnius see their numbers and trajectories as deliberate acts of disruption orchestrated by Belarus.
According to the Lithuanian government, the Vilnius international airport has been closed for more than 60 hours since October due to the threat posed to civil aviation, affecting over 350 flights and approximately 51,000 passengers.
Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovič said Lithuanian prosecutors launched an investigation into the balloons and the secret services would provide information about the connection with the Minsk regime.
“I have no information that the Belarusian side is trying to curb the senders of the balloons,” the minister said. “And this is one of the proofs that this is a hybrid attack.”
In October, Lithuanian authorities closed two border crossings in response to the airspace violations.
Lukashenko denies attacks
Belarus’s authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko denounced Lithuania’s move to close the border as a “mad scam” and part of a “hybrid war” against his country. He suggested that Vilnius needs to combat smuggling of contraband.
On Tuesday, Lukashenko denied accusations that Minsk was carrying out hybrid attacks on Lithuania and said the balloons could not harm civil aviation. Instead, the Belarusian leader accused Vilnius of “politicizing” the problem.
NATO is on the lookout for airspace threats over eastern Europe as suspicious drone sightings continue to shut down airports. For The National, CBC’s Briar Stewart gets a closer look at the Operation Eastern Sentry mission and what it’s watching for in the skies
He called for negotiations between Minsk and Vilnius.
“If you want normal relations, sit down at the table and discuss these issues. We are ready to do that,” he said during a session of Belarus’s security council.
Lithuania, Poland and other European Union countries in the region in recent years have accused Belarus of other activity aimed at triggering instability, including with cyberattacks. They also accuse Minsk of directing a large influx of migrants from the Middle East and Africa to their borders to create a migration crisis.
Belarusian political analyst Valery Karbalevich told The Associated Press that the balloon issue has escalated soon after Lukashenko was able to secure the end of U.S. sanctions against national airline Belavia.
“Lukashenko wants the European Union to lift or soften sanctions and he hopes to initiate negotiations by blackmailing Lithuania,” Karabalevich said.
