Lithuania and Belarus accuse each other of drone incursions. What new sanctions is the EU preparing?
Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, announced on Monday, December 1, that the EU is preparing additional sanctions against Belarus, as a result of “hybrid attack” over Lithuania with smuggling balloons, while Belarus accused Lithuania of using drones for espionage and spreading “extremist material” against President Lukashenko, after finding such a drone, reports Reuters and EFE.
Balloons belonging to Belarus arrived in Lithuania. PHOTO Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya / X
The head of the European Commission stated that she discussed the situation on Monday in a telephone conversation with the Lithuanian president, Gitanas Nauseda, according to Agerpres, which cites the two foreign agencies.
“The situation at the border with Belarus is deteriorating, with an increase in balloon raids by smugglers in Lithuanian airspace”said Von der Leyen on social networks
Von der Leyen added that these “hybrid attacks of the Lukashenko regime are completely unacceptable”.
In this context, he announced that the EU “prepare additional measures” as part of its sanctions regime against Russia's ally Belarus. Balloon incursions used by cigarette smugglers disrupted hundreds of flights in Lithuania and caused significant losses to the country's airports.
Lithuania and Brussels say that these raids are not just about smuggling, but about a broader and more targeted hybrid campaign, along with other actions, including migrant smuggling. The appearance of these balloons follows drone raids from Belarus.
Such a drone caused panic among Vilnius authorities in July. Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas (who has since resigned) and the president of the parliament, Saulius Skvernelis, were then briefly taken to air raid shelters. In the end, the authorities realized that the drone did not pose any danger.
One front changed direction to Belarus and then to Lithuania
Also in that period, a drone that seems to have been launched by Russia in the direction of Ukraine, but was disoriented by the electronic warfare systems of the Ukrainian army, lost its trajectory and thus changed its direction to Belarus and then to Lithuania, where it accidentally crashed right in the perimeter of a military base, being discovered there only a few days later.
Lithuania, accused of using drones against it for espionage and to launch “extremist materials”
Belarus, for its part, accused Lithuania on Monday of using drones against it for espionage and to launch “extremist material“, while Lithuania hosts opponents of Lukashenko, who took refuge in this country in order not to end up in prison.”A drone of unknown origin was found yesterday on one of the streets of Grodno” a city in the west of Belarus, the Ministry of the Interior from Minsk sent on Monday, which also published images of what it claims to be the said drone.
“Following the inspection carried out by the police, it was found that the drone was equipped with a photo and video camera capable of collecting information. In addition, extremist printed materials were launched from the drone”adds the same ministry, accusations denied by the Vilnius government.
