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Lithuania’s authorities connected Tuesday (December 9, 2025) declared a nationalist exigency implicit information risks posed by meteorological balloons sent from Russia-allied Belarus that person violated its airspace successful caller weeks, portion the Belarusian person called for negotiations connected borderline tensions and said his state “does not request war.”
The balloons forced Lithuania to repeatedly unopen down its main airport, stranding thousands of people, arsenic Europe remains connected alert implicit erstwhile intrusions into NATO airspace during the warfare successful Ukraine.
“In combating the Belarusian hybrid attack, we indispensable instrumentality the strictest measures and support the areas astir affected by this attack,” Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene said.
The announcement followed a Cabinet gathering of the Baltic state, which is simply a NATO subordinate and beardown backer of Ukraine successful its combat against Russian forces who launched a full-scale penetration successful February 2022.
The nationalist exigency means the Army volition beryllium capable to patrol the borderline country unneurotic with different uniformed services and person other rights from Parliament, specified arsenic to behaviour searches oregon detain people.
The Government said the interaction connected civilians would beryllium limited.
While the balloons are utilized to smuggle cigarettes into Lithuania, officials successful Vilnius spot their numbers and trajectories arsenic deliberate acts of disruption orchestrated by Belarus.
According to the Lithuanian government, the Vilnius planetary airdrome has been closed for much than 60 hours since October owed to the menace posed to civilian aviation, affecting implicit 350 flights and astir 51,000 passengers.
Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovic said Lithuanian prosecutors launched an probe into the balloons and the concealed services would supply accusation astir the transportation with the Minsk regime.
“I person nary accusation that the Belarusian broadside is trying to curb the senders of the balloons,” the Minister said. “And this is 1 of the proofs that this is simply a hybrid attack.”
In October, Lithuanian authorities closed 2 borderline crossings successful effect to the airspace violations.
Belarus’ authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko denounced Lithuania's determination to adjacent the borderline arsenic a “mad scam” and portion of a “hybrid war” against his country. He suggested that Vilnius needs to combat smuggling of contraband.
Belarus wants talks
On Tuesday (December 9, 2025), Lukashenko denied accusations that Minsk was carrying retired hybrid attacks connected Lithuania and said the balloons could not harm civilian aviation. Instead, the Belarusian person accused Vilnius of “politicising” the problem.
He called for negotiations betwixt Minsk and Vilnius. “If you privation mean relations, beryllium down astatine the array and sermon these issues. We are acceptable to bash that,” helium said during a league of Belarus’ information council.
Belarus’ Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Sekreta besides urged Vilnius to conscionable Minsk astatine the negotiating table. “For immoderate reason, Lithuania perceives immoderate interaction astatine a governmental level with the Belarusian broadside arsenic a defeat,” Mr. Sekreta said.
Lithuania, Poland and different European Union countries successful the portion successful caller years person accused Belarus of different enactment aimed astatine triggering instability, including with cyber attacks. They besides impeach Minsk of directing a ample influx of migrants from the Middle East and Africa to their borders to make a migration crisis.
