Lithuanian authorities have not detected any smuggling balloons or related traces in recent days, despite wind conditions that could have carried them across the border from Belarus, a senior government official said Friday.
“In recent days, and even weeks, we have not detected balloons or their traces regardless of the wind direction, but we are in no way letting our guard down,” Ignas Dobrovolskas, an adviser to the prime minister, told a news conference.
“We understand that we are dealing with an authoritarian and hard-to-predict state, so we remain vigilant and services continue to work intensively,” he said.
Dobrovolskas thanked the administration of US President Donald Trump and US special envoy John Cole for their role in managing the situation. He added that efforts were underway to secure the release of Lithuanian trucking vehicles currently held in Belarus.
“We are making every effort to ensure that Lithuania’s residents can celebrate the year-end holidays safely and travel freely,” Dobrovolskas said. “Our services are working toward this, and diplomatic efforts are also under way.”
The Lithuanian military continues to support police operations, said Maj. Gintautas Ciunis, a spokesman for the armed forces.
“Troops from the land forces, the air force and the military police are supporting police patrols and carrying out other tasks,” Ciunis said. “Task groups include personnel on the ground as well as standby forces ready to reinforce them if needed.”
Last week, the government declared an emergency after weather balloons disrupted operations at Vilnius Airport and posed risks to civil aviation. The balloons, used by cigarette smugglers, have forced more than a dozen temporary closures of Vilnius Airport and one closure at Kaunas Airport in recent months.
The most recent disruption at Vilnius Airport occurred on December 6.
Lithuanian officials have repeatedly described the balloon launches from Belarus as a form of hybrid attack by Minsk.
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