Lithuania closes airports, Belarus border after balloon sightings
NATO member Lithuania shut its two largest airports and closed crossings on its border with Belarus after helium balloons drifted into its airspace — the third such incident this month.
Authorities said the Vilnius and Kaunas airports were closed for safety reasons until 2 a.m. Saturday (23:00 GMT), while border crossings with Belarus will remain closed until midday Sunday, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
European air traffic has faced repeated disruptions in recent weeks due to drone and airspace incursions across Copenhagen, Munich, and the Baltic region.
Lithuania claims the balloons are used by smugglers transporting contraband cigarettes but also blames Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, for allowing the practice to continue.
Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene announced that the National Security Commission will meet next week to consider measures “painful to the smugglers and to Lukashenko’s regime.” The National Crisis Management Centre said “tens of balloons” were detected by radar on Friday.
Vilnius Airport also closed earlier this week and on October 5 following similar airspace violations. The latest incident comes a day after Lithuania reported a separate airspace breach by two Russian military aircraft, which reportedly entered the country’s territory from Kaliningrad during refueling maneuvers.
President Gitanas Nausėda condemned the intrusion as “a blatant breach of international law and Lithuania’s territorial integrity,” while Russia’s Defence Ministry denied the incursion.
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