In response to the increasing number of incidents of smuggler balloons in Lithuanian airspace in recent weeks, the Lithuanian-Belarusian border has been closed until the end of November, Reuters reports.
Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė told reporters that the possibility of extending the period during which the border will remain closed is not ruled out: “If we continue to observe attacks directed against Lithuania, the strict measures will be maintained.”
Belarusian customs have condemned the decision, saying it is ill-considered, unfriendly and will harm the region’s business.
In October alone, balloons carrying smuggled cigarettes across the border from Belarus forced the closure of airports five times. The European Union expressed solidarity with Lithuania on the 29th of October, calling on Belarus to immediately introduce effective ways to control its airspace and combat organised crime on its territory. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas, speaking on behalf of the 27 member states, said the balloons were not only a tool for smuggling but also part of a hybrid campaign, along with other activities, including a state-sponsored migration crisis at the bloc’s external border.
US President Donald Trump’s envoy to Belarus, John Coale, said
Russia’s ally Belarus must prevent further incidents of this kind.
He said the US stood united with Lithuania.
Lithuanian police have arrested several people suspected of smuggling when they arrived to collect packages from the balloon landing sites. Fines of up to 1,000 euros have been imposed. Ruginienė said on the 27th of October that the incidents were a form of hybrid attack, and Lithuanians would shoot down the balloons in the future.
Speaking about the border closure, the Prime Minister said that she is aware that it will cause inconvenience to citizens and businessmen, but that national security is taken extremely seriously.
During the border closure for general movement, diplomats, citizens of EU and NATO countries and citizens of Ukraine leaving Belarus, those transiting the Russian enclave of Königsberg, and foreigners with humanitarian visas issued by Lithuania will be allowed to cross.
On the 28th of October, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said that the border closure was a cowardly fraud and accused the West of waging a hybrid war against Belarus and Russia.
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