October 26, Pozirk. Lithuania closed its airspace and checkpoints at the border with Belarus for several hours last night over another incursion of weather balloons launched from Belarus and typically used by cigarette smugglers, the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service reported.
Border crossings in Medininkai and Šalčininkai, which currently handle all cross-border traffic between the two countries, closed at 10:45 p.m. on Saturday and reopened at 2 a.m. on Sunday.
The Vilnius Airport suspended operations until 3.30 a.m. this morning. Disruptions reportedly affected 3,500 passengers and 14 flights, four other flights were redirected to other destinations and 25 were cancelled.
Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė has announced tougher criminal penalties for those involved in smuggling, who will also be responsible for damage caused to the Vilnius Airport, lrt.lt reported today.
One of the balloons spotted last night was flying at an altitude of eight kilometers, the official said, noting that these objects can reach a speed of up to 200 km/h, which makes it harder to shoot them down.
Earlier, Deividas Matulionis, the Lithuanian president’s chief national security advisor, said Vilnius was ready to close its border with Belarus for an extended period if the launches of unauthorized weather balloons continue. Lithuania regards these incidents as deliberate provocation and an escalation of tensions, the foreign ministry stressed.
Lithuania closed Šumskas and Tverečius checkpoints at the shared border with Belarus in 2023 and Lavoriškės and Raigardas in 2024, citing national security and smuggling as the reasons.
