Overview
- The Interior Ministry tallied 197 drone incursions and 599 smuggling balloons this year, with Lithuania attributing the activity to Belarus as Minsk denies orchestrating it.
- Authorities report about 320 affected flights, roughly 47,000 disrupted passengers and around 60 hours of airport closures linked to balloon and drone sightings.
- The emergency measure is intended to enable tighter coordination and military support to curb launches and protect critical infrastructure and civil aviation.
- EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the pattern an unacceptable hybrid attack, while the Belarus government rejected the accusations.
- Earlier steps included a €500 million air- and counter-drone package and temporary restrictions at the Belarus border, as neighboring Baltic states report related incidents and officials highlight peacetime rules that complicate intercepts.