LRT English Newsletter – October 31, 2025.
The simmering border crisis with Minsk just entered a new chapter – Lithuania has closed its border crossings with Belarus.
In short:
– Hundreds of balloons used by cigarette smugglers, launched at the same time toward Lithuania, grounded flights and shut down Vilnius and Kaunas airports on four separate occasions last week.
– Although smugglers using balloons and them landing all over Lithuania is nothing new, this level of alleged coordination and scale got Lithuanian and Brussels officials calling it a hybrid attack by the Minsk regime.
– Alexander Lukashenko called it madness and said he would apologise if proven guilty (no one is holding their breath).
To hit back where it presumably hurts, Lithuania has shut the last two border crossings with Belarus until November 30, for now. Exceptions apply – diplomats, residence permit holders, as well as Lithuanian and EU nationals will be allowed to cross into the Baltic country.
This will affect thousands of Belarusian workers travelling back and forth, as well as Lithuanian businesses, which was acknowledged by the Belarusian opposition and the Lithuanian prime minister, respectively. But Vilnius officials are seemingly willing to play chicken with Minsk. Meanwhile, Poland has delayed the reopening of its border crossings with Belarus.
So what now? There have been mixed messages from various officials. Some claim Lithuania’s military is already able to shoot down the balloons, but others are blowing cold air on the claims, saying no one will waste expensive missiles on contraband tobacco, and they fly too high and too close to populated areas to use standard weapons.
All officials agree, however, that the military is ready to use “kinetic means” to bring them down (even as the government announced at the same time a 1-million-euro reward for developing air defence solutions). Some military observers are putting their hopes on interceptor drones already being produced in the Baltics and scoring hits in Ukraine. Soon, we might also start seeing so-called mobile air defence groups like in Ukraine.
WAITING FOR GODOT
Two ministers are still missing from the new government. Depending on whom you ask, the culture minister post is either still to be filled by the Nemunas Dawn populists, or by the Social Democrats, or both.
Meanwhile, the Defence Ministry is also undergoing turbulent times. Several vice ministers were also silently let go, with their pages disappearing from the website, as diligently noticed by reporters. Only then did the interior minister, who’s standing in for the defence minister, confirm the news. So far, there are a few potential candidates to replace Dovilė Šakalienė, who was fired by the prime minister.
DEFENCE UPDATES
– No news on American presence in Lithuania after reports of a pullback from Romania.
– Germany’s brigade in Lithuania will be stocking up on kamikaze drones.
– Lithuanian manufacturers want the Defence Ministry to buy local.
BALTIC SHADOWS
Baltic companies are feeding Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, investigative reporters have found. Basically, a network of companies in the Baltic states is keeping Russia’s oil exports afloat. Read the bombshell investigation here.
EDITOR'S PICKS:
– Here’s one for our readers in America: a new Lithuanian museum has opened in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania.
– What happens to all the clothes we put up for recycling?
– We have new crickets now.
– Here’s a profile on a Lithuania-based Brit whom you’ve probably seen on your social media already.
– Iconic Lithuanian actor Kostas Smoriginas dies at 72
– Vilnius wants municipal workers to speak Lithuanian (and is willing to pay for it).
– And what can you do if your flight is cancelled because of the Belarusian balloons?
Written by Benas Gerdžiūnas
Edited by Justinas Šuliokas
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