December 9, Pozirk. Lithuania has declared a state of emergency (extreme situation) in response to what it called “a hybrid attack from Belarus,” said the government’s press office.
The move comes in response to airspace violations by weather balloons launched by cigarette smugglers from Belarus.
Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovič is in charge of the emergency response operation, the government said.
The state of emergency gives the military “special powers to act more effectively—both together with units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and independently, said Kondratovič.
Tensions between Belarus and Lithuania over cigarette-smuggling balloons have been rising since mid-October, forcing Lithuanian authorities to close the border and suspend operations at Vilnius International Airport, located close to the Belarusian border.
Last week, Kondratovič said that nearly 600 weather balloons and 197 drones had been spotted in Lithuania since January. The incidents disrupted 350 flights, affecting about 51,000 passengers.
Vilnius International Airport have suspended operations for more than 60 hours since October, most recently on December 6.
The state of emergency has been announced for the whole of Lithuania, not part of it, the government stressed.
Vilnius International Airport operates as usual as long as security permits, it added.
“Every night police, the Border Guard Service, the Criminal Service of the Customs and Military Police raid border areas, inspect thousands of vehicles and individuals, intercept balloons and seize contraband goods. Police are directly supported by the army, which tests means of neutralizing targets and participates in monitoring airspace,” the statement says.
