Lithuania’s main airport was forced to halt operations once more on Sunday after suspected contraband-carrying balloons were detected in its airspace, marking at least the tenth closure at Vilnius Airport since early October.
The Baltic nation has repeatedly faced aviation disruptions in recent months amid incursions by drones and balloons — incidents that have also affected major European hubs, including Copenhagen and Brussels. Lithuanian authorities say many of the balloons are launched by smugglers moving illegal cigarettes across the border, accusing Belarus and its president, Alexander Lukashenko, of enabling what they describe as a “hybrid attack.”
In October, Lithuania shut its two remaining border crossings with Belarus in response to the balloon activity, though they were reopened last week following a temporary lull. Lukashenko dismissed the closures as a “crazy scam,” accusing Western nations of waging a hybrid war on Belarus and Russia and signalling a return to hardened borders.
Normal airport operations are expected to resume once the airspace is declared clear.