Lithuania declares state of emergency over balloon incursions from Belarus

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Lithuania declares state of emergency over balloon incursions from Belarus  The Baltic state says the cigarette-laden balloons originating from Moscow-allied Belarus are a form of hybrid attack and a threat to its national security.  READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/12/09/lithuania-declares-state-of-emergency-over-balloon-incursions-from-belarus  Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages

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00:00Lithuania's government has declared a state of emergency over security risks posed by smuggler

00:07balloons from Belarus that have violated its airspace in recent weeks. The balloons are used

00:13to smuggle cigarettes into Lithuania, but officials say they are deliberate acts of

00:17disruption orchestrated by Belarus. Tensions between Vilnius and Minsk have escalated after

00:23the balloons forced Lithuania to repeatedly close its main airport in the past weeks,

00:28leaving thousands of people stranded. Authorities also closed the Belarusian border for several

00:35weeks in late October due to the balloon prep. Announcing the state of emergency, the Lithuanian

00:42government cited national security interests and the threat to human life, property and the

00:47environment from the balloons. The government has asked Parliament to allow the military to work

00:52together with police, border guard and security officials during the state of emergency. It was

00:57not immediately clear how long the state of emergency would last.

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