Lithuanian SIM cards used to track smuggling balloons from Belarus disrupting Vilnius Airport

Since late 2024, Belarusian criminals have employed balloons carrying contraband cigarettes to smuggle goods into Lithuania, utilizing GPS navigation devices with SIM cards from Lithuanian, Polish, and Latvian mobile operators. The balloons fly high—up to 11 km altitude—and land deep inside Lithuania, avoiding border patrol detection. In 2025, Lithuanian authorities have intercepted nearly 600 such balloons, but military radar and Air Force data indicate actual flights could be triple that number. These hybrid smuggling operations are believed to have official approval from Belarusian security forces controlling military border zones. Lithuanian mobile operators (Bitė Lietuva, Telia, Tele2) have implemented stricter SIM card activation regulations to hinder misuse, including limiting foreign activation and user registration. Lithuanian and Belarusian officials accuse each other, with Belarus claiming Lithuanians use their own SIM cards and balloons. Lithuanian Armed Forces describe this as an ongoing silent struggle against a hybrid threat blending criminal and state elements that threaten civilian airspace safety and border security.