Lithuania Declares State of Emergency, Plans to Deploy Army Against Smuggled Weather Balloons

The Lithuanian government has declared a nationwide state of emergency after smuggled weather balloons were launched in large numbers from Belarus.

Vladislavas Kondratovičius, Minister of the Interior, has been appointed to oversee government operations, LRT reports.

According to the resolution, the measures will target only the organizers and participants of the illegal activity and will not cause any additional inconvenience to the general public.

The Ministry of the Interior explains that the launch of weather balloons carrying contraband is a form of hybrid warfare that poses a threat to national security. The balloons interfere with civil aviation, repeatedly halt operations at Vilnius Airport, and cause financial losses and reputational damage.

The state of emergency will allow institutions to coordinate their actions more closely and to deploy military units.

The government will review the need for the state of emergency in one month. According to the Minister, the decision to extend or lift it will depend on the results of the operations.

Kondratovičius also emphasized that the public is actively helping to address the problem — residents are increasingly reporting spotted weather balloons to the authorities. A significant share of the smuggled cargo is detected thanks to citizens’ alerts about these “unexpected visitors” on Lithuanian territory.

Meanwhile, the government has appealed to the Seimas, requesting an urgent expansion of military powers to manage the state of emergency. According to the draft resolution, the military would be permitted to issue mandatory orders, detain suspects, check documents, conduct inspections, and use specialized equipment. These powers are expected to be granted for a period of three months.