Overview
- The government enacted the emergency on December 9 to speed coordination and grant broader powers to security services and the military.
- Authorities recorded 599 smuggling balloons and 197 drones entering Lithuanian airspace this year.
- Airport disruptions since October include more than 60 hours of temporary closures, affecting over 350 flights and about 51,000 passengers.
- EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the activity as an unacceptable hybrid attack, while Minsk rejected the accusations.
- Officials say some balloons were steered toward airport approaches, and Lithuania previously shut its Belarus border for roughly two weeks in late October.