How Belarus is using cigarette-stuffed balloons to sow chaos in Lithuania as part of Putin’s ‘hybrid war’
14-12-2025 16:18 via independent.co.uk

How Belarus is using cigarette-stuffed balloons to sow chaos in Lithuania as part of Putin’s ‘hybrid war’

Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko has vowed to stop the balloons from flying into Lithuania after pressure from the US. But experts tell Isabella Redmayne that they form a vital part of a wider campaign to destabilise the Baltic country
Read more »

World news



‘I went down to save lives’: Hero fruit seller who tackled terrorist thought he was going to die
‘I went down to save lives’: Hero fruit seller who tackled terrorist thought he was going to die
'We are angry': Louvre Museum closed as workers strike
US-Ukrainian talks resume in Berlin with territorial stakes unresolved
UK pop star Cliff Richard reveals prostate cancer treatment
Stocks diverge ahead of central bank calls, US data
Small firms join charge to boost Europe's weapon supplies
Showdown looms as EU-Mercosur deal nears finish line
Serbian minister indicted over Kushner-linked hotel plan
Mariah Carey to headline Winter Olympics opening ceremony
Indonesia to revoke 22 forestry permits after deadly floods
German shipyard, rescued by the state, gets mega deal
Flash flood kills dozens in Morocco town
Farmers and politics threaten to put EU's free-trade deal with South America on ice
Farmers and politics threaten to put EU's free-trade deal with South America on ice
Eurovision 2026 will feature 35 countries: organisers
Desktop versie