Balloons from Belarus are causing chaos in Lithuania. Is it smugglers, or a hybrid attack?

Lithuania has declared an emergency after the balloons started to cross the border.

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That's when giant white balloons are launched across the border, crates of cheap cigarettes dangling beneath.

Over the past 10 weeks, the illicit balloon traffic has already forced Lithuania's main airport into shutdown 15 times, stranding or delaying thousands of travellers.

On one occasion the airspace was closed completely for 11 hours.

But the government here is sure it is dealing with something far more hostile than smugglers.