Lithuania closed its border with Belarus on Monday following multiple reports of balloons violating its airspace, escalating tensions between the two nations amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. Lithuanian authorities reported observing several balloons, some suspected of carrying surveillance equipment, crossing into Lithuanian airspace over the weekend.
The border closure, announced by Lithuanian Interior Minister Agnė Bilotaitė, is an immediate response to the airspace violations and aims to protect national security. This action follows a pattern of increased Russian activity near NATO borders,including recent airspace incursions into Poland,Romania,and Estonia. NATO launched “Eastern Sentry” to reinforce its presence in Eastern Europe and counter Russia‘s threat. On September 9,Poland shot down Russian drones that had violated its airspace,marking the first time shots were fired by NATO since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. The military alliance denounced Moscow’s “absolutely hazardous” behavior,while Russia claimed the drones inadvertently entered Polish airspace,perhaps due to Ukrainian electronic jamming.
Lithuania shares a 678-kilometer (421-mile) border with Belarus,a key ally of Russia. The airspace violations and subsequent border closure raise concerns about potential hybrid warfare tactics and disinformation campaigns.European leaders have vowed to increase pressure on Moscow to persuade Russian president Vladimir Putin to negotiate an end to the war in ukraine.Days after the Polish incident, Russian drones also violated Romanian airspace, prompting Bucharest to scramble fighter jets. Additionally,NATO intercepted three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets that violated Estonia’s airspace,though Russia disputes crossing into NATO airspace.
