Copyright kyivpost
Lithuania has temporarily shut its border with Belarus after weather balloons flying in from the Russian-allied country forced its two busiest airports to close. Officials said “tens of balloons” had been spotted on the radar in Lithuanian skies, leading to the closure of both Vilnius and Kaunas airports. The incident is the third of its kind this month. Lithuania’s National Crisis Management Centre said that the earlier balloons were carrying contraband cigarettes from Belarus. Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė announced on her Facebook page that two border points with Belarus would be closed until midday on Saturday in response to the incident. She added that security officials “will meet again next week to assess the influence of decisions already made and what else could be done in the short term to make it painful” for smugglers and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s government. Air traffic disrupted According to Lithuanian transport officials, traffic at both Vilnius and Kaunas airports was stopped until around 10 p.m. local time. The move was expected to impact four flights in Vilnius and three flights in Kaunas. It comes just days after the last balloon incursion, which also forced Vilnius airport to close. Twelve flight were impacted on that day, which officials said was the biggest incident of its kind to date. Balloons have long been used as smuggling devices across the EU’s heavily-guarded eastern flank. Last month, Polish police arrested two suspects after two weather balloons carrying cigarettes were found near the Belarusian border—with one landing in a city center car park. European aviation has repeatedly been thrown into chaos in recent weeks by drone sightings and other air incursions, including at airports in Copenhagen, Munich and the Baltic region
