December 1, Pozirk. Vilnius International Airport reported disruptions in its operations due to balloon incursions yesterday evening, marking the fifth such incident since November 20.
The decision to restrict air traffic was linked to the spotting of weather balloons used by cigarette smugglers from Belarus, its Facebook page said.
Tensions between Belarus and Lithuania over cigarette-smuggling balloons have been rising since mid-October, forcing Lithuanian authorities to briefly close the border on several occasions and suspend operations at Vilnius Airport, located close to the Belarusian border.
The Medininkai–Kamienny Łoh and Šalčininkai–Bieniakoni checkpoints at the Lithuanian-Belarusian border remained closed from October 29 until November 20.
Meanwhile, hundreds of Lithuania-registered trucks remain stranded in Belarus. Belarusian authorities barred these cargo vehicles from leaving the country and ordered them moved to guarded parking sites. Vilnius, in turn, accused Belarus of escalation by seizing the vehicles and preventing their return.
Minsk pushes for consultations between the countries’ foreign ministries, while Lithuania views potential talks as an effort to break the international isolation of Alaksandar Łukašenka’s regime and potentially pave the way for easing sanctions.
Vilnius is reluctant to launch negotiations, as Lithuania curtailed official contacts with Minsk after what it described as the rigged 2020 presidential election.
