"These are provocations. If someone needs to find a reason to justify certain actions with their rhetoric (against Belarus, against Russia, and ultimately against their own citizens), then that is the reason they are looking for."

The fact that these balloons with smuggled cigarettes once flew - they have been flying all their lives. Such smugglers really do exist. But the most interesting thing is that no notes were sent to us.

"They themselves cannot find out what kind of balloons were flying there and what they were like - they never found them," M. Ryzhenkovs reacted.

The minister also pointed out that Belarusian smugglers have accomplices on the Lithuanian side, and advised the competent Lithuanian institutions to"find out" and "defeat smuggling in their own country."

"All this is reminiscent of certain provocations, the purpose of which is to justify certain anti-Belarusian, anti-Russian attitudes, which may lead to the suspension of transit to the Kaliningrad region, further restrictions on airplane flights. As if to say:"Look at the barbarians surrounding us, who don't know what they are doing."

All this is done precisely because of this. In other words, figuratively speaking, it is difficult for our own people to justify anti-Belarusian, anti-Russian actions, so we need to find some negative aspect against the background of which a frightened Lithuanian resident will at least be worried about the situation in his heart, that he needs to run to look for some kind of bomb shelter, food supplies, but will support the government's actions, because"this is really a threat from the east," Maksim Ryzhenkov shared his opinion.

Head of the VSD: I have no doubt that Belarus knows what is happening right now

The Director of the State Security Department (VSD), Remigijus Bridikis, has no doubt that Belarus is aware of the smuggled balloons being flown into Lithuania and disrupting airport operations. According to him, Minsk is seeking to destabilize the situation in Lithuania, but he cannot yet say whether this is the regime's only goal.

"The threats are increasing, understanding the effect they have on our decision-making, our passengers, and society. We are all tense. I have no doubt that Belarus knows what is happening right now. They really understand and Minsk assesses the situation very well," R. Bridikis told reporters on Monday after a meeting with the country's leader Gitanas Nausėda.

"But we cannot answer the exact goal in this case. Yes, they want to destabilize us, but apparently destabilization (...) is not the only goal. Apparently, there are other goals. But in this case, we cannot answer," he noted.

When asked whether the influx of weather balloons could be called a hybrid attack, R. Bridikis indicated that the point is not the relevant concepts, but the actions of the Belarusian regime.

"That term doesn't change anything. We'll use the same one - unconventional actions, hybrid attacks - that's not the point. The point is whether the Belarusian regime knows what impact it has on us, and whether it knows what measures they are applying towards us," the VSD director said.

He assured that the department is involved in preventing and containing the aforementioned incidents and is providing the necessary information to decision-makers.

Last week, air traffic at Vilnius Airport was temporarily suspended, and once at Kaunas Airport, due to smuggled balloons arriving from Belarus.

Incidents involving disruptions to airport operations and closures of the Medininkai and Šalčininkai border checkpoints were recorded on Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings.

On Wednesday, the Government intends to make decisions on the closure of the last two border checkpoints with Belarus - Medininkai and Šalčininkai. Until then, the border with Belarus will remain closed. This decision was made by the National Security Commission (NSK) at its meeting on Monday.

It was also decided that the military will begin using appropriate kinetic measures to bring down balloons flying into the country.

In turn, police and State Border Guard Service (SBS) officers will cooperate more actively in order to curb smugglers.

Grunskienė: There is no evidence yet that smuggled balloons from Belarus are a hybrid attack

Nida Grunskienė, head of the prosecutor's office organizing pre-trial investigations into the transportation of Belarusian contraband cigarettes by weather balloons, says that she does not yet have information that this activity is a hybrid attack against Lithuania.

"We do not have such information in the pre-trial investigations yet," Prosecutor General Nida Grunskienė told reporters on Monday.

She stated that during pre-trial investigations, suspects are identified and preventive measures are imposed on them.

"The situation is under control. I can't say how many pre-trial investigations there are now, probably 13. However, there are a lot of episodes, episodes are being combined into pre-trial investigations," the Prosecutor General said about the smuggling investigations.

According to N. Grunskienė, separate pre-trial investigations have been initiated regarding recent events related to contraband transported in balloons, previously initiated cases have already reached the courts, and verdicts have been announced.

At the time, Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė called Belarus' actions and the ongoing influx of balloons a hybrid attack and assured that the country would respond accordingly by taking the strictest action by closing the borders.