The Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has handed over a note of protest to the charge d'affaires of the Belarusian Embassy, in which the country expressed its strong protest against smuggled balloons launched from a neighboring country on January 27.
This was reported by the Lithuanian broadcaster LRT.
The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry noted that Belarus' repeated violations of Lithuanian airspace are serious violations of international law that pose a security threat.
Lithuanian security services recorded the largest raid of smuggled balloons from Belarus on January 27. As a result, Vilnius airport had to be closed three times. On January 28, the country's police found eight smuggled balloons, four people were arrested, and the remains of several balloons were also discovered.
The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry emphasized to the summoned representative of the Belarusian Embassy that in the event of a recurrence of similar incidents, Lithuania reserves the right to renew restrictions on border traffic or apply other measures.
Lithuania considers balloon attacks from Belarus a hybrid threat.
Earlier it was reported that a hot air balloon carrying smuggled cigarettes landed in the center of the Lithuanian capital Vilnius. The man who came to collect the cargo injured a police officer and fled the scene.
On December 14, US President Donald Trump's special representative, John Cole, stated that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, unrecognized by a number of countries, had promised him to stop flying weather balloons from his country to Lithuania.
Balloon incidents from Belarus
Vilnius International Airport was temporarily closed on the night of October 27 due to hot air balloons flying from Belarus. On the night of October 25-26, aircraft traffic at the airport was also temporarily suspended, causing delays and cancellations.
Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginenė convened a meeting of the National Security Commission during which a decision to close the border with Belarus was prepared, which was approved on October 29.
In total, since October 27, air traffic in the country has been disrupted at least five times due to bullets from the Belarusian side.
The Shalchininkai and Myadininkai checkpoints on the border with Belarus were supposed to be closed by November 30, 2025, but they were opened earlier, on November 20. At the same time, the country's Prime Minister Inga Ruginenė emphasized that if the situation with smuggled balloons flying in from Belarus worsens again, the authorities reserve the right to resume closing the border.
On December 1, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the European Union may impose new sanctions against Belarus due to violations of Lithuanian airspace and hybrid balloon attacks.
On December 4, Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginenė stated that Belarus' actions, in particular, the penetration of weather probes into Lithuanian airspace and the detention of Lithuanian trucks, could be recognized as acts of terrorism.
On December 6, Vilnius Airport once again temporarily suspended operations after navigational markers resembling balloon signals were detected in the airspace, which could pose a threat to civil aviation.
On December 9, Lithuania declared a state of emergency throughout the country due to mass launches of smuggled balloons from the territory of Belarus.