Dozens Of Belarusian Smuggled Cigarette Transport Balloons Enter Lituania, EU Reacts: This Is A Provocation!

European Union (EU) President Ursula von der Leyen (X @vorderleyen)

JAKARTA - The President of the European Union (EU), Ursula von der Leyen, assessed that provocation efforts had been carried out following dozens of helium balloons containing smuggled cigarettes from Belarus into Lithuanian airspace.

Ursula called the hot air balloon incident a "hybrid threat". He stressed that the European Union supports Lithuania's actions over the incident.

"This is destabilization. This is a provocation," he said on his X account, Wednesday, October 29, western Indonesia time.

He encouraged EU member states to accelerate measures to maintain the eastern side bordering Belarus and Russia.

Previously, Prime Minister Lithuania Inga Ruginiene instructed his soldiers to shoot down helium balloons that entered his country to potentially threaten national security.

Inga said Belarus's very minimal actions to prevent dozens of helium balloons containing smuggled cigarettes from entering Lithuania indicated the involvement of local authorities.

Illegal cigarettes are said to be the source of revenue for Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's government.

What was accused in Belarus was dismissed by Belarus's Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov. He considers the EU to provoke the situation and link his country to Russia over this incident.