State of Emergency in Lithuania Due to Smuggled Balloons

The Lithuanian government has decided to declare a state of emergency due to the presence of smuggled balloons that are allegedly launched by Belarus. The state of emergency, as announced at the government meeting on December 9, will be implemented nationwide.

Delfi reports that government officials emphasized that this will not cause inconvenience to residents, but will allow for the more effective mobilization of forces and resources for security assurance.

As part of the emergency measures, the involvement of military personnel in the inspection of documents and vehicles is planned, along with potential restrictions on entering certain areas or organizing bans on vehicle traffic.

The decision to declare a state of emergency across the country was explained by the government as necessary because “the organizers of illegal activities adapt to the measures taken by the state” and could relocate their activities if the state of emergency were limited to only one area.

Lithuania has repeatedly reported incidents of balloons carrying smuggled goods in its airspace, claiming they are launched from Belarusian territory, with authorities in the neighboring country doing little to intervene. Due to these balloons, Lithuanian airports have had to suspend operations.

At the end of October, Lithuania closed its land border with Belarus. The closure of the Myadinykai and Shalchininkai checkpoints has left more than a thousand cargo trucks stranded in Belarus. It is estimated that the measures in response to the smuggled goods being carried by balloons will remain in effect until November 30, although it has been decided to resume operations at border crossings sooner.