Belarus protests Lithuania over drone border violation

Belarus has lodged a protest with Lithuania after a Lithuanian drone violated Belarusian airspace and crashed in the city of Grodno on November 30.

The drone entered from Lithuania’s Lazdijai district and, based on debris analysis and navigation data, appeared to be planning a flight over Belarus to Poland before returning to Lithuania, Caliber.Az reports, citing the Belarusian Foreign Ministry’s statement.

The Ministry described the actions as a deliberate provocation against both Minsk and Warsaw.

“On 1 December, the Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of the Republic of Lithuania in the Republic of Belarus, Erikas Vilkanetsas, was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus. He was issued a protest in connection with the violation of the state border of the Republic of Belarus by an unmanned aerial vehicle of the airplane type, launched from the territory of the Republic of Lithuania on 30 November 2025,” the statement read.

Belarus stressed that the incident poses a security threat and violates international law, including the Chicago Convention on Civil Aviation.

Minsk is demanding that Lithuania provide full details on the drone’s purpose and operator, conduct an investigation, and hold those responsible accountable. 

The ministry also stated that Belarus reserves the right to take measures to protect its sovereignty and security in this situation.

European air travel has faced repeated disruptions in recent months due to drone sightings and incursions, affecting cities such as Copenhagen and Brussels, with Vilnius airport shutting down at least ten times since early October. 

Lithuanian authorities claim smugglers are using weather balloons to transport contraband cigarettes and accuse Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of enabling these operations, labelling them a form of “hybrid attack.” 

In response, Lithuania closed both border crossings with Belarus in October, though they were reopened last week after the air traffic disruptions subsided. 

Lukashenko dismissed the border closures as a “crazy scam,” accusing the West of waging a hybrid war against Belarus and Russia, signalling a return to barbed-wire divisions.

By Jeyhun Aghazada