Lithuania Declares State Of Emergency Over Smuggler Balloons From Russia-Allied Belarus
VILNIUS, Dec 9 (Reuters) – Lithuania’s government declared a state of emergency on Tuesday over Belarusian smuggler balloons disrupting aviation and asked parliament to allow the military to operate alongside police and border guards.
Vilnius Airport has been closed several times due to air balloons that Lithuania said were sent by smugglers carrying cigarettes and constituted a “hybrid attack” by Russia’s close ally Belarus.
“The state of emergency was declared not only due to disruptions in civil aviation, but also in the interests of national security,” Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovic told a livestreamed government meeting on Tuesday.
State Border Guard Service via AP
Belarus denied responsibility for the balloons and accused Lithuania of provocations, including sending drones to drop “extremist materials”, which Lithuania denied.
Expanded Powers Seeked for the Military
Kondratovic said the Lithuanian government has asked the parliament to grant military powers to act on its own and with police, border guards and security forces during the state of emergency.
If parliament agrees, the military would be allowed to limit access to an area, stop and search vehicles, check people, their documents and belongings, and detain people who resist or are suspected of committing crimes.
Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas said the military would be allowed to use force for these functions. The emergency measures will last until the government cancels them.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on December 1 that the situation at the border was deteriorating and called the balloon attacks a “hybrid attack” by Belarus that was “completely unacceptable”.
Lithuania also declared a state of emergency in 2021 in the Belarusian border region, where Belarus said there was a campaign to push migrants across the border illegally.
The following year, Vilnius declared a state of emergency following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, fearing that Lithuania might also be a target.
(Reporting by Andrius Sytas Writing by Stine Jacobsen Editing by Terje Solsvik and Peter Graff)
