&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "‘Hybrid attacks’: Lithuania to shoot down smuggling balloons from Putin ally Belarus")
Lithuania on Monday (Oct 27) authorised its forces to shoot down smuggling balloons crossing from Belarus, calling the incidents “hybrid attacks” meant to destabilise the country. In a statement, Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė said that the decision came after repeated incursions by balloons carrying contraband cigarettes from Belarus, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, forced authorities to close Vilnius airport four times last week and temporarily seal border crossings.
Strictest measures against the Putin ally nation
Speaking at a press conference, Ruginienė revealed, “Today we have decided to take the strictest measures, there is no other way.”. She added that her government might also invoke Article 4 of NATO’s founding treaty, which calls for consultations when a member state believes its security is threatened.
While Lithuanian officials say the balloons are being launched by smugglers, they accuse Belarus’s president, Alexander Lukashenko—a close ally of Russian leader Vladimir Putin—of turning a blind eye.
The prime minister described the situation as part of a broader pattern of “hybrid attacks,” a term used across Europe to describe Russia’s mix of military, economic, and information warfare tactics.
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In response, Lithuania has closed most of its border crossings with Belarus, allowing only diplomats and EU citizens returning home to pass through. The disruptions have caused major headaches for travellers and airlines, with dozens of flights diverted or cancelled on Friday and Saturday after sightings of the contraband balloons.
Concerns about Russia's ‘hybrid attacks’ rise
The border tension comes amid separate concerns about Russian military activity. Lithuania’s defense ministry said a Russian Sukhoi SU-30 fighter jet and an IL-78 tanker aircraft briefly entered Lithuanian airspace last Thursday from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, flying about 700 meters into the country for roughly 18 seconds, probably during aerial refuelling training.
Vilnius summoned Russia’s chargé d’affaires to lodge a “strong protest”, demanding an explanation and assurances that the nation will take “all necessary measures to prevent such incidents from happening again”. Moscow denied any wrongdoing, claiming its aircraft “did not violate the borders of other states” and that all flights were conducted “in strict compliance” with airspace regulations.
