Lithuania temporarily closed its border crossings and airports due to smuggled balloons arriving from Belarus

Weather balloons carrying smuggled cigarettes from Belarus have once again posed a serious safety risk to Lithuanian air traffic. Following the incident, the Lithuanian government has decided to temporarily close two major airports and two border crossings with Belarus.

Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene announced on social media that airports in Vilnius, the capital, and Kaunas, the second-largest city, have been temporarily closed following the detection of new balloons sent from Belarus. She also announced that the Salcininkai and Medininkai border crossings will remain closed until noon local time.

“The National Security Commission will meet again next week to assess the impact of the measures taken and any additional steps that could be taken against the Belarusian regime,” the Prime Minister said in his statement.

According to Lithuanian media, approximately 40 flights and more than 6,000 passengers were affected by the airport closures. Vilnius and Kaunas airports reopened at 2:30 a.m.

Vilnius Airport was temporarily closed on October 5 and 21 due to similar balloon incidents.

Lithuanian authorities have previously accused the Belarusian government of sending balloons across the border to transport contraband and sabotage air traffic. Authorities believe this attempt to destabilize the country's air security could be a "coordinated hybrid operation."

The incident is being considered part of the increasing security tensions on Europe's eastern borders in recent weeks.