Five Smugglers To Stand Trial In Belarus For Sending Cigarettes To Lithuania And Poland By Weather Balloon

Reform.news Editorial Team · 19 October 2026, 10:51

https://reform.news/en/five-smugglers-to-stand-trial-in-belarus-for-sending-cigarettes-to-lithuania-and-poland-by-weather-balloon/

Five “airborne” smugglers will stand trial in Belarus. They are accused of smuggling cigarettes into Lithuania and Poland using weather balloons. All five defendants are residents of Voranava District. The prosecutor’s office has referred the criminal case to court.

According to the prosecution, four men under the age of 45 and one pensioner regularly purchased boxes of cigarettes from the Neman Hrodna Tobacco Factory OJSC between June 2025 and March 2026. Each box contained 500 packs of cigarettes. The tobacco products were then sent to Lithuania and Poland by weather balloon from Voranava, Braslau and Kamianiets districts.

“In March 2026, the men intended to transport the remaining 36 boxes of cigarettes, which had been stored in a village near the border in Kamianiets District, to the Republic of Poland using the same method. However, their illegal activities were stopped by law enforcement officers.

During an inspection of the scene in Kamianiec District, components for preparing weather balloons for launch, hydrogen cylinders and tobacco products were seized,” the statement said.

The group’s proceeds were estimated at 317,000 Belarusian rubles.

Two defendants, who allegedly led and managed the group, have been charged with complicity in illegal business activities and the illegal movement of goods across borders.

The other three defendants have also been charged with complicity in illegal business activities and the illegal movement of goods across borders. According to the prosecution, they were responsible for purchasing equipment to prepare weather balloons for launch, loading and unloading hydrogen cylinders and boxes of tobacco products, packing cigarettes, and monitoring the area and surrounding conditions to warn of approaching vehicles and people.

All five defendants remain in custody.

As a reminder, the regular incursions of weather balloons carrying cigarettes from Belarus into Lithuania and Poland are one of the factors contributing to tensions between Minsk and its neighbouring countries. The problem is particularly acute in Lithuania, where weather balloons frequently disrupt operations at Vilnius Airport. Last year, Lithuania even closed its border with Belarus in response to the increased frequency of these incursions.