(updated with additional quotes later released by Lukashenka’s press service)
Alyaksandr Lukashenka has claimed that cigarette smuggling from Belarus to Lithuania using weather balloons is organized by Lithuanian citizens. Earlier, while opening the Minsk Conference on Eurasian Security, Lukashenka said that Lithuania had closed its border because of the balloons to prevent guests from attending the conference.
He continued the topic today. On Thursday, the Lithuanian government decided to close its border with Belarus until November 30, while allowing crossings at the Medininkai checkpoint for certain categories of people.
Lukashenka primarily blamed the governments of Lithuania and Poland, saying their actions had forced citizens of both countries into smuggling.
“They built a fence. But people were used to living that way — they had businesses, they produced goods. They could make and sell to us, we could make and sell to them. There was trade. They built the fence and tore apart those living ties.
Millions of people instantly lost their jobs — their livelihoods — especially in Poland. There it’s private production, they are even more dependent on trade than we are. Lithuanian and Polish authorities — you are to blame for this. Why did you put people in such conditions? Why did you push them onto the path of crime?” he said.
According to Lukashenka, Belarusian citizens legally bought cigarettes from factories and resold them to Lithuanians who entered Belarus. The Lithuanians then allegedly carried the cigarettes across the border using balloons.
“These people, whose lives and fates were cut apart along the border — they have children to feed, something to do — saw that they could buy cheap goods here and resell them there. Earn big money.
They set up this business. Our people buy cigarettes at a good price from the factory and sell them to Lithuanians. They need to get them over the fence. They threw them in small batches using those balloons. Lithuanians received the balloons and took the cigarettes,” he said.
Lukashenka added that Lithuanian border guards were also involved, as they must have seen everything happening.
“Did our people see this? Surely they did. But what about us? You imposed sanctions against us, you are strangling us. As I often say — are we supposed to protect you? So let the balloons fly. We’ll still check this. But the main thing is — Lithuanians received those balloons and took the cigarettes. They didn’t sell them in Lithuania. They sold them in the Netherlands and England. They say that’s where cigarettes are the most expensive,” he continued.
“How can I blame them — what’s Belarus’s fault here? I don’t see why people should be punished. They wanted to earn money — they earned it. If they had stolen those cigarettes… No, they paid for them. What are the claims against us? That we sold cigarettes to Lithuanians? We sold them. That’s legal,” he said.
Lukashenka said that Lithuanian citizens entered Belarus unofficially.
“In this case, people were invited from Lithuania — we identified two of them. We have a visa-free regime. But they didn’t use it. They came through the ‘green route,’ agreed with Lithuanian border guards — they opened the gate, and they came to us,” he said.
According to him, Lithuanians came to Belarus after Belarusian participants refused to launch the balloons.
“They said: ‘No, the president will jail us, we won’t do that!’ So they bought the balloons online. And since our people refused, those Lithuanians themselves threw the cigarettes into Lithuania using the balloons. And Lithuanians on the other side — the ones who had lost their livelihoods — collected them.
I actually want to clarify how many balloons flew. They say 200. Our ‘bandits’ say: ‘Tell the president there weren’t 200 — maybe two dozen. We don’t even have that many balloons.’
If Lithuanians threw them to themselves, then find those Lithuanians, identify them, and ask them why. They understand this — and reportedly, as I was told this morning, Lithuanians already found something. We’ll find our people, ask why they did it. But I don’t know how to blame them. They bought and sold,” he said.
At the same time, Lukashenka acknowledged the importance of the fact that the incident disrupted airport operations.
“The balloons rose up to five kilometers, they say. What if there had been a civilian plane — people could have died. That’s unacceptable to me and it matters,” he said.
However, he suggested another motive behind the situation.
“The Lithuanians understand that this will all come out, it’ll become known. I’ll reveal a secret: we’re holding talks with the Americans. They’re difficult, they go differently. And literally the next day after that night when the balloons flew, the Americans sent us a message saying that the Belarusians were to blame, that the authorities and Lukashenka must immediately apologize to Lithuania — publicly.
I said: ‘Go to hell,’ and so on. I said we would apologize if we were guilty. What should I apologize for? But the Americans demand an apology, and so do the Lithuanians. Who’s managing whom? The Lithuanians complained to the Americans, who are negotiating with us. The Americans sent me a letter demanding that I apologize. And the Lithuanians, following their orders, are demanding the same.
If I am guilty — based on that — I’m ready to apologize. But I don’t see my guilt, nor the guilt of our people. And let’s be honest — if we wanted to send cigarettes to Poland, we’d ship a whole wagon. And they would accept it.
Why? Because there’s demand. That’s economics. You can’t escape it. If goods there cost five or ten times more than here, they’ll dig a tunnel underground and send them through. And whoever sees it will stay quiet if he’s paid (the border guards). He’s paid — he stays quiet. Cigarettes aren’t nuclear weapons,” he said.
According to Lukashenka, the issue lies in the West’s desire to “find something to put pressure on us.” As an example, he cited sanctions and restrictions imposed after the forced landing of a Ryanair flight in Minsk in 2021, when Raman Pratasevich and Sofia Sapega were detained. Lukashenka said today that Pratasevich was in fact an officer of Belarusian intelligence.