Analysis

How Belarus uses balloons: insights from former smuggler and border guard

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Lithuanian border guards secured a weather balloon carrying smuggled Belarusian cigarettes. Photo: vsat.lrv.lt

Three days of mass airspace violations by weather balloons launched from Belarus prompted Lithuania to close its borders. This technology is used by Belarusian contraband, but this time, the criminal nature of the threat is questionable. Vilnius considers it a hybrid attack.