Lithuania has declared a "nationwide emergency situation" due to repeated incursions of weather balloons from Belarus. These balloons carry smuggled cigarettes and have entered Lithuanian airspace about 600 times this year. Alongside this, nearly 200 drones have also crossed the border. Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene called these balloon incursions a "hybrid attack" that risks national security and civil aviation. Vilnius airport has closed multiple times, totaling over 60 hours since October, affecting roughly 1,000 passengers. Finnish airline Finnair canceled its evening flights to Vilnius until February because of the disruptions. The Lithuanian interior ministry reported intercepting 11 balloons and seizing nearly 40,000 cigarette packets. Belarus’s leader, Alexander Lukashenko, denied responsibility, saying on Belarusian TV, "It is unrealistic. Even if balloons flew into there, even if they did, I have spoken to pilots and they say that they pose no problem." He questioned the reasons behind Lithuania's accusations, stating, "We do not need war." Lithuania’s move to declare an emergency is just below a full state of emergency and gives extra powers to the armed forces for swift action. This step reflects rising tensions, as Lithuania’s president Gitanas Nauseda called the balloon threat a "deliberate action aimed at destabilising the situation in Lithuania." Relations between Lithuania and Belarus have been tense for years, with past incidents including irregular migrants crossing Belarusian borders. Following the balloon incidents, Lithuania closed two border checkpoints with Belarus and Belarus subsequently blocked Lithuanian trucks, leaving hundreds stranded. The European Union views these acts as part of a wider "hybrid campaign" of disruption linked to Russia and its allies. NATO is considering a more "aggressive" stance to counter such hybrid warfare, warned Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, head of NATO's military committee.