Lithuania declares state of emergency over smuggler balloons from Belarus

VILNIUS- Lithuania on Tuesday declared a state of emergency due to threats to public safety from smuggled balloons originating in Belarus, the government said.

Lithuania accuses Belarus of allowing smugglers to use weather balloons to transport contraband cigarettes across the border, repeatedly forcing Vilnius airport to halt operations, disrupting air traffic.

"The state of emergency is announced not only due to civil aviation disruptions but also due to interests of national security," Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovic told a government meeting that was streamed live.

The declaration grants increased operational freedom to the military, allowing it to act in coordination with police or independently, Kondratovic added, though he did not specify further details.

The duration of the emergency measures was not immediately clear.

Belarus, which allowed its territory to be used for Russia's invasion in 2022 of Ukraine, has denied responsibility for the balloons and accused Lithuania of provocations, including allegedly sending a drone to drop "extremist material".

Lithuania, a NATO and European Union member which was once part of the Soviet Union, has rejected those accusations as false.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on December 1 that the situation at the border was "worsening" and called the balloon incursions a "hybrid attack" by Belarus that was "completely unacceptable."

Lithuania in 2021 imposed a state of emergency in the Belarus border region over what it said was illegal migration into the Baltic nation, restricting access to the area for non-residents.

The following year Vilnius announced a state of emergency following Russia's invasion of Ukraine over fears that Lithuania could also become a target, imposing restrictions on free speech to curb what it said was potential Russian propaganda.

Andrius Sytas, writing by Stine Jacobsen/Reuters