US EditionLithuania shuts airports, Belarus border crossings after balloon sightings
Lithuania closed key airports and border crossings due to over 500 helium balloons used by smugglers entering from Belarus this year, raising security concerns amid Russian airspace violations.
- Lithuania's Vilnius and Kaunas airports closed on Friday due to weather balloons from Belarus, according to the Lithuanian transport ministry.
- Tens of balloons were detected by radar, prompting authorities to suspend traffic until 2 a.m. local time, as stated by the National Crisis Management Centre.
- If smuggler balloons enter again, Lithuania's Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene indicated the country would close its border with Belarus.
- Lithuania blames Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko for allowing smuggler balloons to operate, as highlighted by the Lithuanian transport ministry.
68 Articles
68 Articles
The airport in Vilnius, Lithuania, was closed Saturday because of the meteorological balloons that landed in its airspace in Belarus, declared the National Crisis Management Centre in the Baltic country. This is the fourth of this kind of incident in October, reports Reuters, writes News.ro.
On Saturday evening, after unidentified surveillance objects again disrupted the operation of Vilnius Airport, both border checkpoints were closed.
Balloon Incursion: Lithuania Halts Flights, Seals Belarus Border
Lithuania closed its airports in Vilnius and Kaunas on Friday, October 25th and sealed its border crossings with Belarus after dozens of helium-filled weather balloons entered the country—the third such incident over the Baltic state this October. European air traffic has been disrupted several times in recent weeks by drone sightings and other airspace intrusions, including at airports in Poland, Copenhagen, Munich, and the Baltic states. Lithu…
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