The "balloon" smuggling crisis: Lithuania closes its border with Belarus

Tuesday, Oct 28, 2025

El Confidencial

Lithuania indefinitely closes borders with Belarus over smuggling balloons, threatening military action against hybrid threats.

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[This is an automatically generated summary, for reference only]

Lithuania has indefinitely closed its borders with Belarus due to a crisis involving weather balloons carrying contraband launched from Belarus, which have caused disruptions like closing airports multiple times. The Lithuanian Prime Minister stated that military measures, including kinetic means, will be used against any further incursions into their airspace, signaling a strong stance against hybrid attacks. Vilnius directly blames the Lukashenko government for these balloon incidents and is considering actions against it. In response, Belarus dismissed Lithuania’s decision as absurd. These events are framed within a broader context of hybrid warfare, with international examples cited, such as China’s balloons over Montana or North Korea sending trash-filled balloons to South Korea. While the current Belarusian balloons carry smuggled cigarettes, Lithuanian authorities link these activities to organized crime and attribute responsibility to Lukashenko, leading Lithuania to discuss activating Article 4 of NATO.

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