Lithuania strengthens air defences, calls for stricter Belarus sanctions

Lithuania has announced the purchase of an additional short-range mobile air defence system from Sweden, emphasising that strengthening air defences is a national security priority, while also calling for stricter sanctions against Belarus over repeated airspace violations by contraband-carrying weather balloons.

According to the Lithuanian Ministry of National Defence, the third MSHORAD system has been ordered from Swedish company Saab Dynamics, with the contract valued at over €119 million, Caliber.Az reports, citing LRT.

The system will include Giraffe 1X radars, RBS70 NG missile launchers, and a modern fire command and control system. Deliveries of individual components are planned between 2026 and 2029.

Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said the new system will significantly enhance Lithuania’s ability to detect drones and other low-flying objects. He also noted that a separate deal with Saab Dynamics is expected soon to integrate air defence systems into JLTV armoured vehicles, valued at around €11 million.

While strengthening its air defences, Lithuania is also confronting another wave of hybrid pressure from Belarus.

Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys stressed the need for a tough sanctions response to repeated incursions of contraband-laden weather balloons into Lithuanian airspace.

On December 1, Budrys spoke by phone with EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas, highlighting that Minsk is using contraband balloons as a pressure tool against EU countries.

“The Belarusian regime is using hybrid measures against EU countries not for the first time. A few years ago it was instrumentalised migration, now – contraband balloons… We cannot allow this to happen,” Budrys said.

He added that Belarus is deliberately provoking incidents to force political dialogue and weaken sanctions, and that the EU must respond with concrete steps to protect its citizens and infrastructure, not just statements of solidarity.

The escalation coincided with the temporary closure of Vilnius airport airspace on the evening of November 30, lasting over 11 hours. In October, Lithuania briefly closed two border crossings with Belarus due to a series of balloon flights, reopening them after the activity subsided.

Lithuanian ministers of foreign affairs and transport have now formally requested the European Commission to impose new sanctions on Minsk.

By Jeyhun Aghazada