VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — Lithuania's government declared a national emergency Tuesday over security threats posed by balloons from Russian ally Belarus that have violated its airspace in recent weeks.
Tensions between Lithuania and Belarus have escalated after weather balloons from Belarus forced Lithuania to repeatedly close its main airport in recent weeks, leaving thousands of people stranded.
In a statement, the government cited “national security interests” and the “danger” to life, property and the environment from the balloons, which carried “contraband” from the former Soviet neighbor – actions that some consider a form of hybrid warfare.
The announcement followed a cabinet meeting of the Baltic state, which is a NATO member and has strongly supported Ukraine in its fight against Russian forces, which launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022.
“The emergency situation was declared due to disruptions in civil aviation and for reasons of national security. There is a need for closer coordination between departments,” Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovicius said at the meeting.
Kondratovicius said the emergency measures will be narrowly targeted.
While the balloons are being used to smuggle cigarettes into Lithuania, officials in Vilnius view their numbers and trajectories as deliberate acts of subversion orchestrated by Belarus.
Europe as a whole is on high alert after drone incursions into NATO airspace reached unprecedented levels in September and Russia's invasion of Ukraine enters its fourth year.
