Overview
- Vilnius Airport halted operations on multiple nights, canceling and diverting flights after suspected smuggling balloons entered Lithuanian airspace from Belarus, with earlier suspensions also affecting Kaunas.
- Authorities closed border crossings with Belarus indefinitely with narrow exceptions, a move Minsk denounced as a provocation.
- The government empowered the armed forces on Oct. 27 to shoot down balloons, hours after officials said 66 helium balloons were detected and as airports and crossings were shut during the incidents.
- The Interior Ministry reported 557 smuggling balloons detected in 2025 versus 226 in 2024, more than 1.1 million cigarette packs seized by air this year, and loads often fitted with SIM cards to help locate shipments.
- EU leaders described the activity as a hybrid threat as Lithuania prepared tougher sanctions, weighed possible NATO Article 4 consultations, and signaled it could restrict transit to Russia’s Kaliningrad if required for security.