A drone carrying contraband from Belarus was intercepted in Lithuania

Lithuanian border guards used electronic warfare equipment to force a drone carrying contraband cigarettes from Belarus to land. 

The incident occurred on the night of March 25, 2026, in a border forest near the town of Devianishkes, according to LRT. 

According to the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service, the drone was transporting 240 packs of cigarettes bearing Belarusian excise stamps into the country. Administrative proceedings have been initiated regarding the illegal transport of goods.

Since the beginning of 2026, this is already the tenth case of drones involved in smuggling schemes being intercepted at the Lithuanian-Belarusian border. Law enforcement officials note that the use of UAVs for the illegal supply of tobacco products remains a consistent trend, despite increased surveillance measures. The situation at the border with Belarus is under special scrutiny due to hybrid threats and attempts to circumvent customs regulations. At the same time, the Lithuanian side continues to modernize its border security technology to quickly detect such aerial vehicles.

Recently, Lithuanian border guards recorded another attempt to illegally transport excise goods across the border with Belarus using weather balloons. During operations in the Šalčininkai, Ignalina, and Varėna districts, balloons were detected carrying a total of 13,500 packs of cigarettes.

Earlier, the Polish military recorded the intrusion into the country’s airspace of objects approaching from the direction of Belarus.