{"id":167446,"date":"2025-12-09T18:32:47","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T15:32:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/167446\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"vilnius-says-minsk-tricking-lithuanians-into-launching-balloons-from-belarus","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/167446\/","title":{"rendered":"Vilnius says Minsk tricking Lithuanians into launching balloons from Belarus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"block-image block-image-normal\">\n\n  <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1128\" height=\"752\" src=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/shpion_craig_whitehead_unsplash_1128x752.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/shpion_craig_whitehead_unsplash_1128x752.jpg 1128w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/shpion_craig_whitehead_unsplash_1128x752-354x236.jpg 354w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/shpion_craig_whitehead_unsplash_1128x752-734x490.jpg 734w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/shpion_craig_whitehead_unsplash_1128x752-178x118.jpg 178w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/shpion_craig_whitehead_unsplash_1128x752-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1128px) 100vw, 1128px\" \/>\n  <figcaption>\n  \n       <div class=\"block-image__author\">\n                <span>(Craig Whitehead \/ unsplash.com)<\/span>\n    <\/div>\n     <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>December 9, <em>Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> Lithuania\u2019s State Security Department (VSD) has issued a statement, accusing Minsk of deceiving Lithuanians and involving them in smuggling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over the past few weeks, individuals posing as Lithuanian security services officers on the Telegram messaging app have been offering money in exchange for carrying out specific tasks, the agency said. These reportedly included travelling to Belarus and launching weather balloons with smuggled goods into Lithuania.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lithuanian intelligence data indicate the operation was planned and executed by Belarusian security and intelligence services, the VSD said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Belarusian regime is seeking to pin responsibility on Lithuania for a hybrid attack that has been ongoing for more than a month, the agency added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>People who accept similar offers via social media risk being used as propaganda tools by Minsk, while those who travel to Belarus put their health and freedom at risk, it noted, warning of criminal liability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tensions between Belarus and Lithuania over cigarette-smuggling balloons have been rising since mid-October, forcing Lithuanian authorities to close the border and suspend operations at Vilnius International Airport, located close to the Belarusian border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, Lithuania has declared a state of emergency (extreme situation) in response to what it called \u201ca hybrid attack from Belarus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"insert-block\">\n\n    <div class=\"insert-block__img\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"354\" height=\"236\" src=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/kondratovich_15min_screen_1128x752-354x236.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/kondratovich_15min_screen_1128x752-354x236.jpg 354w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/kondratovich_15min_screen_1128x752-734x490.jpg 734w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/kondratovich_15min_screen_1128x752-178x118.jpg 178w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/kondratovich_15min_screen_1128x752-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/kondratovich_15min_screen_1128x752.jpg 1128w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 354px) 100vw, 354px\" \/>                        <label class=\"insert-block__tag--mobile\"> Politics<\/label>\n\n                            <label class=\"insert-block__tag--mobile\"> Security<\/label>\n\n                <\/div>\n    <div class=\"insert-block__text\">\n                    <label class=\"insert-block__tag\">Politics, Security<\/label>\n                <h3 class=\"insert-block__title\">Lithuania to maintain \u201cextreme situation\u201d for at least a month<\/h3>\n        <div class=\"insert-block__descr\">December 9, Pozirk. Lithuania declared an \u201cextreme situation\u201d\u2014a low-level emergency\u2014earlier today for an indefinite period, Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovi\u010d told reporters in Vilnius. \u201cI think that in a month we will return to this decision and review whether we still &#8230;<\/div>\n        <a class=\"insert-block__btn-block\" href=\"\/en\/news\/167374\">\n            <button class=\"btn\">\n                <div class='btn__text'>Read the article<\/div>\n            <\/button>\n        <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>December 9, Pozirk. Lithuania\u2019s State Security Department (VSD) has issued a statement, accusing Minsk of deceiving Lithuanians and involving them in smuggling. Over the past few weeks, individuals posing as Lithuanian security services officers on the Telegram messaging app have been offering money in exchange for carrying out specific tasks, the agency said. These reportedly [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":131903,"template":"","rubric":[14,30],"class_list":["post-167446","articles","type-articles","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","rubric-politics","rubric-security"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Vilnius says Minsk tricking Lithuanians into launching balloons from Belarus | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"December 9, Pozirk. 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