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Lithuania has declared a national emergency following repeated airspace violations by balloons originating from Russia-allied Belarus, citing significant security risks. The move comes amid escalating tensions between the two nations, as these meteorological balloons have recently compelled Lithuania to repeatedly close its primary airport, disrupting travel for thousands.
In an official statement, the government highlighted “national security interests” and the “danger” these balloons pose to human life, property, and the environment. It further noted that the devices have been used to transport “contraband” from the neighbouring former Soviet state, with some observers characterising these actions as a form of hybrid warfare.
This declaration, made after a Cabinet meeting, underscores the heightened regional instability. As a NATO member and a staunch supporter of Ukraine against Russia’s full-scale invasion, launched in February 2022, the Baltic state views these incidents with particular gravity.
“The emergency was declared because of disruptions to civil aviation and because of national security concerns. There is a need for closer coordination between the institutions,” Interior Minister Vladislavas Kondratovičius told the meeting.
The Lithuanian government asked parliament to grant the military powers to act in concert with police, border guards and security forces during the state of emergency, as well as on its own.
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Lithuanian soldiers patrol a road near the Lithuania-Belarus border near the village of Jaskonys, Druskininkai district some 160 km (100 miles) south of the capital Vilnius, Lithuania, on Nov. 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis, File) (AP)
If parliament agrees, the army will be given permission to limit access to a territory, to stop and search vehicles, to perform checks on people, their documents and their belongings, and to detain those resisting or suspected of crimes.
The emergency measures will last until the government calls them off.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on December 1 that the situation at the border was worsening, and called the balloon incursions a “hybrid attack” by Belarus that was “completely unacceptable”.
Lithuania also imposed a state of emergency in 2021 in the Belarus border region over what it said was a campaign by Belarus to send migrants across the border illegally.
The following year Vilnius announced a state of emergency following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, over fears that Lithuania could also become a target.
While the balloons are used to smuggle cigarettes into Lithuania, officials in Vilnius see their numbers and trajectories as deliberate acts of disruption orchestrated by Belarus.
Europe overall has been on high alert after drone intrusions into NATO’s airspace reached an unprecedented scale in September and the Russian invasion of Ukraine nears its fourth year.
