Hey friends, I’ve been deep in the Belarus rabbit hole this week, sparked by something rather unexpected: Lithuania declaring a state of emergency over balloons being flown in from across the border.

"The declaration by Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene on Tuesday came amid growing tension between Lithuania and its neighbour over the balloons, which have previously been used to smuggle cigarettes but are now suspected to be operated by Belarusian security services." - Aljazeera

I didn't know so much about Belarus until now, but am enthralled with how slippery the slope was into autocracy following the fall of the Soviet Union and now back into the arms of Russia. And of course, these funky hybrid warfare tactics.

Would love to hear what you think. Does Belarus still count as a sovereign state? And does it matter if the world just… lets that go?