Lithuania To Close Border With Belarus Over Smuggler Balloons

Lithuania is planning to close its border with Belarus indefinitely, the government announced Monday, after a series of balloon incidents last week disrupted air traffic in the capital Vilnius, Euronews reported.

Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė said the government is drafting a decision to permanently close the border and shoot down balloons entering the country’s airspace.

A final decision is expected Wednesday, with exemptions for diplomats, diplomatic mail, and European Union citizens leaving Belarus.

The announcement came a day after Vilnius closed the border following balloon sightings linked to cigarette-smuggling operations in Belarus. These sightings prompted authorities to shut down airspace over Vilnius four times last week and three times over the weekend.

At least 170 flights were disrupted, affecting more than 30,000 passengers, according to Politico.

Ruginienė and other officials suspect that balloons – used to transport contraband cigarettes from Belarus – are part of a “hybrid attack” against Lithuania.

Lithuania, a member of both the EU and NATO, lies on the border with Russia’s Kaliningrad and Moscow-aligned Belarus. Vilnius warned it will call for additional sanctions on Belarus and invoke NATO’s Article 4, which calls for urgent consultations among allies when a member’s security is threatened.

The incidents underscore Europe’s growing struggle to safeguard its airspace amid a surge in drone activity, Russian aircraft incursions, and repeated airport disruptions in recent months.