Vilnius airport was closed for a little over an hour on the 20th of November after radars detected smuggler balloons flying from Belarus, Reuters reports.
In late October, Lithuania closed its border with Belarus due to air traffic disruptions caused by smuggler balloons. The border was expected to remain closed until at least the end of November, but due to a large number of Lithuanian transport companies’ trucks being stuck in Belarus, border crossings were opened earlier than initially planned on the night of the 20th of November.
A spokesman for Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė said that
if such hybrid attacks continue, the border would be closed again.
Lithuania has reported that the balloons that are forcing the closure of airports are being launched by smugglers who are bringing contraband cigarettes across the border from Belarus, and has blamed the neighboring country’s leader, Alexander Lukashenko, for inaction. Lithuanians have called the launch of contraband cigarette balloons a form of hybrid attack.
Lukashenko, meanwhile, has called the border closure a foolish act and accused Western countries of waging a hybrid war against Belarus and Russia. They are encouraging the construction of new barbed wire fences to divide the countries.
In recent weeks, while the border was closed, the number of smugglers’ balloons has also decreased.
Read also: Contrary to earlier plans, Lithuania reopens border checkpoints with Belarus