Riga (EFE).- Lithuania has closed its border with Belarus indefinitely after balloons believed to be carrying contraband entered its airspace, prompting multiple suspensions of operations at Vilnius International Airport.
“Lithuania is closing its border with Belarus indefinitely,” reported the national broadcaster LRT, citing the National Crisis Management Center (NKMC).
The decision to close the border followed Vilnius Airport’s announcement at 9:42 pm on Sunday, when all flight operations were temporarily halted after multiple weather balloons were detected entering Lithuanian territory from Belarus that evening.
Authorities said the airport was expected to resume normal operations around 1:40 am Monday.
According to local media, the balloons are reportedly used to smuggle cigarettes into Lithuania, a member of both the European Union and NATO, from its eastern neighbor.
In a statement issued earlier on Sunday, the Lithuanian Ministry of the Interior reported that the number of contraband balloon detections in 2025 had reached 557, more than double the 226 incidents recorded in 2024.
The ministry also reported that between January and Sep. 2025, about 80 % of cigarettes imported illegally from Belarus were transported by air, either using balloons or unmanned aerial vehicles.
Authorities have seized more than 1.1 million packets of cigarettes this year, including roughly 800,000 delivered via balloons.
Lithuanian police say the smuggling operations often use mobile phone SIM cards attached to the shipments, allowing recipients to track and recover the contraband once it lands.
This technology has also helped law enforcement locate drop zones and detain suspects collecting the loads.
Government and military officials have discussed the possibility of shooting down the balloons, though they have expressed concerns about potential risks to people and property from falling debris.
The incidents come amid already tense relations between Lithuania and Belarus.
Vilnius has been one of the most vocal critics of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s government, imposing sanctions and supporting opposition groups in exile.
Lithuania has also accused Belarus of orchestrating a “hybrid attack” by facilitating the illegal crossing of migrants into the European Union through its borders since 2021, a claim Minsk denies.
The closure of the border is the latest measure in a series of escalating security concerns in the Baltic region, where Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland have repeatedly accused Belarus and its ally Russia of conducting provocations near their borders.
No injuries or property damage were reported following Sunday’s airspace incursions, and authorities are still investigating how the balloons were launched. EFE
jkz/seo
