{"id":161717,"date":"2025-10-27T11:48:59","date_gmt":"2025-10-27T08:48:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/161717\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","slug":"lithuania-mulls-longer-border-closure-after-dozens-of-weather-balloons-enter-from-belarus","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/161717\/","title":{"rendered":"Lithuania mulls longer border closure after dozens of weather balloons enter from Belarus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"block-image block-image-normal\">\n\n  <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1128\" height=\"752\" src=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/aeroport_vilnius_1128x752.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/aeroport_vilnius_1128x752.jpg 1128w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/aeroport_vilnius_1128x752-354x236.jpg 354w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/aeroport_vilnius_1128x752-734x490.jpg 734w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/aeroport_vilnius_1128x752-178x118.jpg 178w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/aeroport_vilnius_1128x752-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1128px) 100vw, 1128px\" \/>\n  <figcaption>\n  \n       <div class=\"block-image__author\">\n                <span>(vilnius-airport.lt)<\/span>\n    <\/div>\n     <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>October 27, <em>Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> More weather balloons carrying contraband cigarettes were launched from Belarus into Lithuania last night than the night before, according to Vilmantas Vitkauskas, head of the Baltic country\u2019s National Crisis Management Centre (NCMC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Speaking to <em>LRT<\/em>, Vitkauskas said that 66 flying objects were recorded entering Lithuanian airspace\u2014roughly twice as many as on October 25. So far, only one balloon has been recovered, while officers continue searching for the rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Vilnius Airport suspended operations for the third consecutive night on Sunday due to repeated airspace violations. The airport was initially closed until 1:40 a.m. local time on October 27, but, according to Lithuanian media, flights did not resume until 4:30 a.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition, Lithuania has closed two checkpoints on the Belarusian border\u2014Medininkai and \u0160al\u010dininkai\u2014until further notice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Prime Minister Inga Ruginien\u0117 has scheduled a meeting of the National Security Commission for today to discuss the government\u2019s response to the balloon incursions. Ruginien\u0117 warned that the commission may decide to keep the border closed for an extended period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lithuania regards these incidents as deliberate provocation and an escalation of tensions, the country\u2019s foreign ministry said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"insert-block\">\n\n    <div class=\"insert-block__img\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"354\" height=\"236\" src=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/granica_litva_sogg-354x236.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/granica_litva_sogg-354x236.jpg 354w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/granica_litva_sogg-734x490.jpg 734w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/granica_litva_sogg-178x118.jpg 178w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/granica_litva_sogg-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/granica_litva_sogg.jpg 1128w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 354px) 100vw, 354px\" \/>                        <label class=\"insert-block__tag--mobile\"> Politics<\/label>\n\n                <\/div>\n    <div class=\"insert-block__text\">\n                    <label class=\"insert-block__tag\">Politics<\/label>\n                <h3 class=\"insert-block__title\">Tensions rise as smugglers\u2019 balloons keep disrupting cross-border, air traffic in Lithuania<\/h3>\n        <div class=\"insert-block__descr\">October 26, Pozirk. Lithuania closed its airspace and checkpoints at the border with Belarus for several hours last night over another incursion of weather balloons launched from Belarus and typically used by cigarette smugglers, the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service &#8230;<\/div>\n        <a class=\"insert-block__btn-block\" href=\"\/en\/news\/161611\">\n            <button class=\"btn\">\n                <div class='btn__text'>Read<\/div>\n            <\/button>\n        <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>October 27, Pozirk. More weather balloons carrying contraband cigarettes were launched from Belarus into Lithuania last night than the night before, according to Vilmantas Vitkauskas, head of the Baltic country\u2019s National Crisis Management Centre (NCMC). Speaking to LRT, Vitkauskas said that 66 flying objects were recorded entering Lithuanian airspace\u2014roughly twice as many as on October [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":161572,"template":"","rubric":[21,16,30],"class_list":["post-161717","articles","type-articles","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","rubric-economy","rubric-politics","rubric-security"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Lithuania mulls longer border closure after dozens of weather balloons enter from Belarus | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"October 27, Pozirk. More weather balloons carrying contraband cigarettes were launched from Belarus into Lithuania last night than the night before,\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/161717\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Lithuania mulls longer border closure after dozens of weather balloons enter from Belarus | Pozirk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"October 27, Pozirk. More weather balloons carrying contraband cigarettes were launched from Belarus into Lithuania last night than the night before,\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/161717\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Pozirk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pozirkonline\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-09T20:10:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/aeroport_vilnius_1128x752.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1128\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"752\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Pozirk_online\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/161717\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/161717\/\"},\"headline\":\"Lithuania mulls longer border closure after dozens of weather balloons enter from Belarus\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-27T08:48:59+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-09T20:10:49+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/161717\/\"},\"wordCount\":200,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/161717\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/aeroport_vilnius_1128x752.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/161717\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/161717\/\",\"name\":\"Lithuania mulls longer border closure after dozens of weather balloons enter from Belarus | Pozirk\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/161717\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/161717\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/aeroport_vilnius_1128x752.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-27T08:48:59+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-09T20:10:49+00:00\",\"description\":\"October 27, Pozirk. 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