Lithuania seeks EU protection as Belarus launches hybrid attack

Lithuanian Foreign Minister (FM) Kestutis Budris announced that he will inform his European Union (EU) counterparts about a new hybrid attack by Belarus, highlighting Lithuania’s call for EU protection.

Emphasising the mass launch of weather balloons and the detention of Lithuanian trucks, the minister stated that the EU must protect its members from hostile actions by third countries, Caliber.Az reports, citing the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry press service.

“The European Union and its member states are facing economic pressure. The EU must protect its members, their businesses, and their property. One way to do this is to impose more sanctions on Belarus’s economy, trade, and regime representatives,” the minister said.

Lithuanian authorities reported that the night of November 24 was “the most tense” due to the new mass incursion of balloons from Belarus.

The incident again led to the temporary closure of Vilnius airport, and some of the weather balloons were also detected in Latvia.

Amid ongoing provocations, Vilnius had previously closed border checkpoints with Belarus, but on November 19, the government decided to reopen the Medininkai and Salcininkai checkpoints earlier than planned.

Lithuanian officials have acknowledged that this decision may have been premature.

By Jeyhun Aghazada