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Lithuania shuts airports, Belarus border crossings after balloon sightings
Lithuania closed airports and border crossings after tens of helium balloons used for cigarette smuggling entered airspace, marking the third incident this month, officials said.
- Lithuania has closed its last two border crossings with Belarus and its largest airports due to balloon incidents, as announced by Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene on October 24.
- The closures resulted from balloons carrying contraband cigarettes violating Lithuanian airspace, with significant disruptions to flights in Vilnius.
- Ruginiene stated that the National Security Commission would meet again to evaluate the impact of these measures against smugglers and Belarusian authorities.
- The incident follows rising tensions and airspace violations involving drones and balloons across Europe, causing concerns about regional security.
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79 Articles
The IndependentReposted by 
The Independent (US)
The Independent (US)Nato member’s main airport shuts again after Belarusian balloons disrupt airspace
Flights to and from Vilnius Airport in Lithuania were suspended on Saturday night
·London, United Kingdom
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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.
·Romania
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On Saturday evening, after unidentified surveillance objects again disrupted the operation of Vilnius Airport, both border checkpoints were closed.
·Vilnius, Lithuania
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The head of the border guard told Lithuanian radio that they had intercepted four balloons containing cigarettes.
Coverage Details
Total News Sources79
Leaning Left12Leaning Right14Center8Last UpdatedBias Distribution41% Right
Bias Distribution
- 41% of the sources lean Right
41% Right
L 35%
C 24%
R 41%
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