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At least 60 balloons from Belarus targeted Vilnius airport runways, causing up to 11-hour shutdowns and stranding thousands, described by Lithuania as a hybrid attack on aviation safety.
- On Saturday night, Vilnius airport suspended operations for 11 hours after at least 60 balloons from Belarus disrupted aviation safety, with 40 entering critical areas.
- Rising cross-border tensions stem from Lithuanian officials saying balloons smuggle cigarettes and Lithuania closed its border in October; Minsk blocked over 1,000 cargo trucks and summoned Erikas Vilkanecas.
- Aviation authorities said the balloons were released at regular intervals targeting runways, with numbers rising; Lithuania offered 1 million euros for defence projects including IT Logika's AI-driven security system and high-power laser.
- The European Union is preparing new measures against Belarus, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Monday, while Gitanas Nausėda, Lithuanian President, urged stronger action and offered Lithuanian territory for testing defensive technology.
- Lithuania plans harsher punishments and may move night flights to Kaunas, while Alexander Lukashenko, President of Belarus, said Belarus would apologize if involvement were proven.
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EC president promises further sanctions on Belarus amid weather balloon crisis
The European Union is preparing new measures against Belarus as tensions rise along the Lithuanian–Belarusian border, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Monday after speaking with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda.
Due to the threat of smuggled balloons from Belarus, Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginene said that if necessary, the border with Belarus will be closed again, and also stressed the need for coordination of actions with the United States. — Ukrinform.
There is a consensus in the European Union regarding punishment of Belarus for the border crisis with mass flights of smuggled balloons into Lithuania and the blocking of more than a thousand Lithuanian trucks. This was stated by the European editor of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Rikard Juzwiak, in an interview with Svaboda.
Belarus balloons cost Lithuania’s airports €750k in losses
Lithuanian Airports (LTOU) estimated that suspected cigarette-smuggling balloons entering Lithuanian airspace from Belarus in recent months have disrupted about 320 flights, leading to losses exceeding €750,000. Tadas Vasiliauskas, a spokesperson for Lithuanian Airports, told Lithuanian broadcaster LRT that the current loss estimate is preliminary and likely to increase as the airport and its partners have not finished assessing the damage. Th…
As tensions grow in Lithuania over smuggled balloons from Belarus disrupting airport operations, President Gitanas Nausėda's advisor Marius ... On the tv3.lt news portal you will find today's most important news, exclusive TV3 news video reports, stories of Lithuanian people and TV3 television video tu
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