Unraveling the Crisis: How Smuggling Balloons Are Threatening Lithuania's Borders

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Smuggling balloons drifting over the Belarusian border have forced repeated shutdowns at the airport in Lithuania’s capital Vilnius, in what authorities call a “hybrid attack” by Belarus, a Kremlin ally.

Since October, the airport just 30km from Belarus has closed more than a dozen times, disrupting hundreds of flights and affecting thousands of passengers.

On Tuesday, Lithuania declared an “emergency situation” over the influx of balloons, describing it as a “hybrid attack” orchestrated by the Belarusian government.

The Lithuanian government has taken a significant step forward in addressing the ongoing issue of smuggling balloons, a problem that has disrupted both air travel and local commerce. Recently, a measure was implemented that falls just short of a formal “state of emergency”—a designation reserved for situations where the nation’s “constitutional order” is deemed at risk and requires parliamentary approval.

The smuggling operations involve balloons that transport between 500 to 1,500 packs of cigarettes. These cigarettes are sold at a fraction of the cost compared to local prices, with a pack available for less than a euro, whereas the same brand might cost 4.5 euros in Lithuania. This price discrepancy has fueled the illegal trade, posing challenges for both law enforcement and economic stability.

The high-altitude balloons, filled with helium or hydrogen, fly where the wind takes them but their altitude can be controlled remotely from the ground.

Typically used by meteorologists to probe stratospheric conditions starting 15km above ground, they have been repurposed to smuggle cheap Belarusian cigarettes into Lithuania. The practice surged after tighter border controls were imposed during a 2021 migrant crisis.

First spotted in 2023, the balloons became widespread in 2024, with several hundred recorded.

They pass over the border at an altitude of about 3 to 4km. The smugglers in Lithuania can then communicate with the balloon to track its location, and direct it to land.

Since October, the repercussions of these smuggling activities have been keenly felt at Vilnius Airport. The airport has experienced closures totaling over 60 hours, which have affected more than 350 flights and approximately 51,000 passengers, according to data from the interior ministry. Such disruptions underscore the urgency of addressing the threat posed by these balloons.

In response, officials have sanctioned the use of “kinetic measures” to counteract the balloons. However, the chief of defence in Lithuania has noted that the army is still seeking cost-effective strategies to effectively detect and neutralize these airborne contraband carriers. The search for efficient solutions continues as the nation grapples with this unconventional yet impactful challenge.

Authorities say the balloons fly at a similar height to airliners approaching an airport, raising the risk of collisions.

Local rules for what constitutes a mid-air risk have recently been upgraded, and the balloons now frequently qualify.

Lithuanian authorities have fine-tuned their detection systems and have been able to better identify whether the flight paths of any identified balloons pose a threat to civil aviation.

Since October, Vilnius Airport has been closed for more than 60 hours due to the threat posed by smuggling balloons, impacting more than 350 flights and approximately 51,000 passengers, according to the interior ministry.

What happens to the cigarettes?

Lithuania says smuggled cigarettes are typically manufactured in Belarus and many are consumed in Lithuania.

The Lithuanian Border Guard confiscated 1.4 million packs of illicit cigarettes in 2024, of which 1.2 million packs were marked for sale in Belarus.

The Lithuanian government initially said the balloons were not being shot down because of the danger to lives or property posed by their heavy payloads.

Officials have since authorised the use of “kinetic measures”, but Lithuania’s chief of defence said the army had not yet found cost-effective methods to identify and bring down balloons.

How has Belarus responded?

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko says Lithuania is exaggerating incidents with smuggler balloons but that Minsk does not want a war with its neighbours.

He called Lithuania’s earlier closure of the border, which lasted several weeks, a “crazy scam” and, in turn, accused the West of waging a hybrid war against Belarus and Russia.

Belarus, which allowed its territory to be used for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, has accused Lithuania of deploying a drone to spy on it and drop “extremist material”. Vilnius has rejected this charge.