Lithuanian Minister of the Interior Vladislav Kondratovič discussed the regional security situation with Czech Ambassador to Lithuania Aleš Opata.
Kondratovič noted that Lithuania is facing airspace violations involving balloons, which pose a threat to civil aviation. Illegal migration also remains a problem. In 2024, Lithuanian border guards prevented 1,002 attempts to illegally cross the Belarus–Lithuania border; in 2025, the number rose to 1,652.
The head of the Lithuanian Interior Ministry stressed that Lithuania is ready to strengthen border protection and take additional measures, the ministry’s press service reported.
“Facing hostile and aggressive neighbours, we see no grounds for easing the measures in place — on the contrary, we will reinforce the protection of the external border and, if necessary, take additional steps,” Kondratovič said.
Due to the measures taken by Lithuania, part of the migration flows was redirected to neighbouring countries. In 2025, secondary migration from Latvia to Lithuania increased by 138% compared with 2024.
Kondratovič and Opata discussed other hybrid threats from Belarus and Russia: propaganda, disinformation, malicious actions, and provocations. The minister believes that Minsk and Moscow are using Lithuania as a testing ground.
“These events show that the scale of hybrid threats is growing and becoming increasingly dangerous. We see that our region is being used as a kind of ‘testing ground’, and similar actions may then be repeated in other European states,” Kondratovič said.
He stressed that in these circumstances the unity of all EU countries and a coordinated response are essential.