Copyright kyivpost
The Lithuanian cabinet of ministers decided to keep the border with Belarus closed until Nov. 30 after a meeting in Vilnius on Wednesday. As per Interfax, Lithuania media outlets reported that the Salcininkai-Benyakoni border crossing will remain completely closed, while passage via the Medininkai-Kamenny Log checkpoint is “restricted.” The closure of the checkpoint does not apply to diplomats, returning Lithuanian citizens, and citizens of the European Union or NATO member states, among other exemptions. Writing on X on Tuesday, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that he had spoken with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda about the threats to its airspace. “NATO stands firmly with Lithuania – including through the air policing currently provided by Spain and Hungary as well as the NATO forces led by Germany,” he added. Lithuania closed its border with Belarus in the early hours of Monday, in response to the latest in a string of incidents involving so-called “smuggler balloons.” The arrival of balloons containing contraband cigarettes in Lithuanian airspace has disrupted air traffic in Lithuania on several occasions in October alone. During the night of Oct. 21-22, flights in and out of Vilnius Airport were suspended after “several dozen” balloons were detected. Their presence, which was assessed as posing a threat to civil aviation, disrupted the travel of over 4,000 passengers. On Oct. 24, both Vilnius and Kaunas Airports were forced to close by the presence of “tens of balloons” in Lithuanian airspace. Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė announced the latest of several temporary border closures in response. On Oct. 26, Vilnius Airport was forced to suspend flights for the third night in a row. Although the Lithuanian government responded with temporary border closures on each occasion, the cabinet moved on Wednesday to make this a longer-term measure after another violation in the early hours of Monday. A decision on whether or not to re-open the border will not be made until Nov. 30. Tension about airspace violations has been building in Lithuania and across Europe for months. In August, a Russian drone armed with an explosive device entered Lithuanian airspace via Belarus. At the time, Lithuanian officials said they believed the drone was intended for Ukraine, but called on NATO to help strengthen its air defenses. On Oct. 23, Lithuania recorded another violation of its airspace – this time by Russian fighter aircraft. Also on Wednesday, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko condemned the border closures as “absurd.”
