The ballon swarms have intensified since October, with the largest launch taking place last weekend.

10:10, Fri, Nov 28, 2025 Updated: 10:20, Fri, Nov 28, 2025

VLADIMIR PUTIN

Putin is said to be behind the balloon launches (Image: Getty)

Russia is using swarms of balloons in a hybrid-war campaign that poses serious security threats to NATO's eastern flank, according to Lithuanian officials. The Baltic country shares a border with Belarus, a Russian client state ruled over by Putin's close ally Alexandr Lukashenko.

At least 550 balloons launched from Belarus and carrying contraband cigarettes, as well as GPS trackers, have been intercepted by Lithuania over the past year. The balloons have caused chaos in the country, forcing Vilnius International Airport to close nine times since in the past two months. Officials say the balloons are part of a hybrid attack carried out by Russia with the approval of Lukashenko.

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BELARUS

Alexander Lukashenko is the President of Belarus (Image: Getty)

Although they are mostly loaded with contraband, Lithuania says they could in future be kitted out with spy cameras, incendiary devices and even explosives.

More pertinently, the balloons are helping Russia to map out the current weak spots on NATO's eastern flank each time they cross the border.

The ballon swarms have intensified since October, with the largest launch taking place last weekend. They can reach altitudes of 26,000 feet, making it almost impossible to shoot them down using drones and firearms.

Only around 28% of the balloons have been shot down, according to the Baltic news outlet Blest.

Belarus denies any state involvement, claiming it is the work of criminal smugglers. However, Lithuania says the Belarusian President is fully aware of the smugglers' actions and could intervene if he wanted to.

Officials insist the launches are part of a wider Russian hybrid war campaign, which seeks to spread chaos and fear throughout Europe.

These have involved drone incursions and firebomb attacks at European airports, as well as a series of attacks on factories and railways which provide aid to Ukraine.

Eitvydas Bajarūnas, Lithuania’s former ambassador to the UK, told the Telegraph that Moscow was almost certainly behind the ballon campaign.

“You can describe it as Moscow-designed and Minsk-implemented,” he said.

Bajarūnas – who is now the Ambassador-at-Large for Hybrid Threats – added: "We know that Belarus undertakes hybrid actions with, at the very least, the approval of Moscow”.