Smuggling balloons from Belarus have forced Vilnius International Airport to close multiple times, prompting Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland to request assistance from the European Union and NATO. According to Vilmantas Vitkauskas, head of Lithuania's National Crisis Management Center, the balloon operations constitute hybrid warfare.
The weather balloons, which appear on the Belarusian side of the border and travel high and fast with the wind at night, have become a major problem for the three EU countries bordering Belarus. Lithuania is worst affected, with its capital Vilnius located only about 35 kilometers from the border.
Belarus could stop this, but they don't. On the contrary, we know they are helping. It is hybrid warfare.
The balloons can fly at altitudes up to 8,000 meters and are loaded with cigarette packages weighing approximately 40 kilograms each. The high altitude and payload make it difficult for border police and military to intercept them, forcing authorities to track the balloons and handle them only when they approach the ground.
Vitkauskas stated, "Belarus could stop this, but they don't. On the contrary, we know they are helping. It is hybrid warfare." He noted that while the cigarette quantities involved are relatively small, the operations require significant resources to monitor and intercept.
The packages are equipped with GPS and are retrieved from various locations including railway tracks, forests, water bodies, fields, and even within cities. The latest airport closure occurred at the end of January, marking another disruption to air traffic in the region.