US EditionLithuania draws up plans to shut Belarus border crossings indefinitely after balloon disruptions
- On Sunday, Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene said Lithuania was temporarily closing its borders with Belarus as the Lithuanian security council meets on Monday to decide next steps.
- Authorities trace the problem to balloons launched from Belarus, which Lithuania says are likely used for smuggling cigarettes, with Ruginiene blaming Alexander Lukashenko for allowing them to 'run wild.'
- Vilnius Airport operations were halted when the airspace suspension from 9:42 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. affected 47 flights, and Kaunas Airport was also closed.
- Officials called on tech companies and defense contractors to develop tools to track balloons with GPS trackers and SIM cards, while local officials detected 'several hundred markers' and this year more than 100 arrests with 20 convictions occurred.
- European NATO has grown wary after drone incursions over Poland in September and related airspace violations reported by Denmark, while Baltic states cite repeated breaches linked to Russia and 250 balloons last year.
141 Articles
141 Articles
The Straits Times
The Star Kuala LumpurLithuania will keep Belarus border shut until November 30 over balloon incidents
VILNIUS - Border crossings between Lithuania and Belarus will remain closed for most travellers until the end of November in response to recent airspace disruptions by smugglers' balloons, the Baltic republic's government said on Wednesday. Read more at straitstimes.com.
These rudimentary flying machines carrying cigarettes have multiplied, to the point of forcing Vilnius airport to several closures. Already scalded by drone incursions, the government evokes a "hybrid attack".
Last Sunday Lithuania closed its border with Belarus indefinitely after Vilnius's international airport, the Lithuanian capital, stopped operating for the third consecutive night.The fault is the balloons that cross dozens of the Baltic country's airspace, always coming from the Belarusian sky.Days before, Lithuania presented a formal protest to its neighbor about repeated violations of airspace.Because they are not only balloons, but also viola…
Air traffic in Lithuania was interrupted four times last week. Now the government has enough: the border with Belarus was closed.
Vilnius airport had to stop operating four times last week because of airspace objects.
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