October 28, Pozirk. Incursions by cigarette-smuggling balloons from Belarus mask hybrid attacks on Lithuania and aim to destabilize the country, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda has told journalists.
Lithuanian authorities have substantial evidence, both direct and indirect, that these are premeditated actions, Delfi reports, citing Nausėda.
The president’s comments came hours after the Belarusian ruler shrugged off Lithuania’s accusations as absurd.
In Belarus, organizing large-scale balloon launches to a neighboring country without the authorities’ knowledge is impossible, Nausėda argued.
“It is therefore quite obvious that special services, the Committee or State Security (KGB), are involved in the sale of tobacco products, some official and some destined for the illegal market, generating substantial profits from every smuggled pack of cigarettes,” the president said.
About a quarter of cigarettes sold in Lithuania are contraband, with smugglers earning up to €4 per pack, he said, accusing Minsk of promoting these practices to support and finance Łukašenka’s regime.
“We will definitely not tolerate the launch of balloons, and the Lithuanian military is ready to shoot them down,” Nausėda noted.
Yesterday, Vilnius closed border crossings in Medininkai and Šalčininkai, the only two checkpoints that handled all cross-border traffic between Lithuania and Belarus, citing an influx of cigarette-smuggling balloons. In 2023, Lithuania closed Šumskas and Tverečius crossings, followed by Lavoriškės and Raigardas in 2024 over national security and smuggling concerns.
Łukašenka denounced Lithuania’s closure of border checkpoints as “a crazy gamble.” He advised Lithuania to deal with the issue domestically: “If small balloons carrying cigarettes or something else are flying there, I believe the problem should be solved within their territory. Because they don’t just fly to nowhere. Someone receives them and someone profits. They need to identify and root out these schemes.”
Cigarette smuggling remains a lucrative illegal trade: while legally sold cigarettes are of higher quality, they cost in Lithuania three to four times more than those produced in Belarus.
