Trendpills
Lithuania has announced its intention to indefinitely close its entire border with Belarus and authorize its military to shoot down unmanned balloons violating its airspace. The move comes in response to a recent surge in airspace violations that have repeatedly disrupted air travel and heightened security concerns on NATO's eastern flank.
The decision follows several incidents where large, unmanned balloons, believed to originate from Belarus, drifted into Lithuanian airspace. These incursions forced Vilnius International Airport to suspend operations on at least four separate occasions within a single week to ensure aviation safety. Lithuanian officials suspect the balloons are being used to smuggle contraband, such as cigarettes, in what they describe as a continuing "hybrid attack" by Minsk. Details of the border closure plan were outlined following a meeting of the country's National Security Commission.
Lithuanian Interior Minister Agnė Bilotaitė stated that the government would formally propose the full closure of the two remaining border checkpoints at Medininkai and Šalčininkai. Four other crossings have already been shut down over the past year amid growing tensions. In a significant escalation, officials also confirmed that the armed forces will be permitted to use "kinetic measures" to neutralize the balloons. Defense Minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas emphasized that any object violating the nation's airspace and posing a threat would be shot down. The Lithuanian government's tough stance marks a clear signal to Belarus that such provocations will not be tolerated.
Relations between the neighboring countries have been tense for years, particularly since Lithuania offered refuge to Belarusian opposition figures. Vilnius has long accused Belarus, a key ally of Russia, of weaponizing migration by funneling people to the EU's border. The latest measures over airspace violations represent a firm response to what Lithuania perceives as escalating and unconventional security threats from the regime in Minsk.
