Lithuanian Foreign Minister Urges NATO Response to Belarusian Hybrid Attack
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis budrys has emphasized to Dutch Prime minister mark Rutte that actions originating from Belarus have posed a threat to civil aviation in Lithuania and across Europe since October. Budrys stated that the Belarusian authorities are not preventing these actions and are deliberately targeting Vilnius airport with contraband balloons, disrupting its operations.
“this is an intentional hybrid attack that poses a threat not only to the security of Lithuania, but to the security of the entire region,” Budrys saeid, as reported. “The Belarusian regime purposefully and deliberately disrupts the activities of civil aviation, causes confusion in our societies, blackmails and spreads disinformation. NATO’s response to these actions is necessary.”
During the conversation, Budrys highlighted Lithuania’s request, submitted in early November, for a NATO team to counter hybrid threats, and stressed the urgency of its deployment. he also invited allies to Lithuania to test and adapt technical measures to combat airspace violations.
The hybrid attack was also a key topic at the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting held in Brussels on Wednesday.
Recent months have seen repeated disruptions to Vilnius airport’s operations due to the threat posed by the smuggled balloons.The airport’s airspace was closed Wednesday night, following a particularly intense series of incidents over the weekend.
in response to the ongoing incidents, the Lithuanian government decided to close its border with Belarus at the end of October.While the border was temporarily reopened to address the situation of carriers stranded in Belarus, the Belarusian regime is currently preventing their return to Lithuania, prompting consideration of a protest by the carriers.
The situation has been repeatedly discussed within Lithuania, including by the National Security Commission (NSK), and at the international level.
