{"id":161785,"date":"2025-10-27T17:28:48","date_gmt":"2025-10-27T14:28:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/161785\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"lithuania-shuts-last-two-belarus-border-crossings-after-balloon-incursions","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/161785\/","title":{"rendered":"Lithuania shuts last two Belarus border crossings after balloon incursions"},"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\/2024\/09\/miadininkai_vsat_1128x752.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/miadininkai_vsat_1128x752.jpg 1128w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/miadininkai_vsat_1128x752-354x236.jpg 354w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/miadininkai_vsat_1128x752-734x490.jpg 734w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/miadininkai_vsat_1128x752-178x118.jpg 178w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/miadininkai_vsat_1128x752-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1128px) 100vw, 1128px\" \/>\n  <figcaption>\n  \n       <div class=\"block-image__author\">\n                <span>(vsat.lrv.lt)<\/span>\n    <\/div>\n     <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>October 27, <em>Pozirk. <\/em><\/strong>Lithuania has closed down the \u0160al\u010dininkai and Medinikai border crossings on the shared border with Belarus for an indefinite period, with some exceptions allowed in Medininkai, the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The move comes in response to an influx of cigarette-smuggling weather balloons from Belarus, Prime Minister Inga Ruginien\u0117 said earlier today following a meeting of the national security commission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Under new regulations, diplomatic passport holders, persons transporting Lithuanian diplomatic mail and travelers transiting to and from Russia&#8217;s Kaliningrad exclave are allowed to cross the border at Medininkai. Lithuanian nationals, European Union citizens and their family members as well as holders of Lithuanian residence permits are allowed to enter Lithuania.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Border crossings in Medininkai and \u0160al\u010dininkai were the only two checkpoints handling all cross-border traffic between Lithuania and Belarus after Vilnius closed \u0160umskas and Tvere\u010dius crossings in 2023 and Lavori\u0161k\u0117s and Raigardas in 2024, citing national security and smuggling among the reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Belarusian Minsktrans bus operator has already cancelled several of its international bus routes connecting Minsk with Vilnius and Kaunas in Lithuania and with Riga in Latvia, until October 29. Passengers will receive a full refund, it noted.<\/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\/aeroport_vilnius_1128x752-354x236.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"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, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/aeroport_vilnius_1128x752.jpg 1128w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 354px) 100vw, 354px\" \/>                        <label class=\"insert-block__tag--mobile\"> Economy<\/label>\n\n                            <label class=\"insert-block__tag--mobile\"> Politics<\/label>\n\n                            <label class=\"insert-block__tag--mobile\"> Security<\/label>\n\n                <\/div>\n    <div class=\"insert-block__text\">\n                    <label class=\"insert-block__tag\">Economy, Politics, Security<\/label>\n                <h3 class=\"insert-block__title\">Lithuania mulls longer border closure after dozens of weather balloons enter from Belarus<\/h3>\n        <div class=\"insert-block__descr\">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 &#8230;<\/div>\n        <a class=\"insert-block__btn-block\" href=\"\/en\/news\/161717\">\n            <button class=\"btn\">\n                <div class='btn__text'>Read the article<\/div>\n            <\/button>\n        <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>October 27, Pozirk. Lithuania has closed down the \u0160al\u010dininkai and Medinikai border crossings on the shared border with Belarus for an indefinite period, with some exceptions allowed in Medininkai, the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service reports. The move comes in response to an influx of cigarette-smuggling weather balloons from Belarus, Prime Minister Inga Ruginien\u0117 said [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":83202,"template":"","rubric":[16],"class_list":["post-161785","articles","type-articles","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","rubric-politics"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Lithuania shuts last two Belarus border crossings after balloon incursions | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"October 27, Pozirk. Lithuania has closed down the \u0160al\u010dininkai and Medinikai border crossings on the shared border with Belarus for an indefinite period,\" \/>\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\/161785\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Lithuania shuts last two Belarus border crossings after balloon incursions | Pozirk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"October 27, Pozirk. Lithuania has closed down the \u0160al\u010dininkai and Medinikai border crossings on the shared border with Belarus for an indefinite period,\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/161785\/\" \/>\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=\"2026-03-10T12:05:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/medininkai_vsat_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\/161785\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/161785\/\"},\"headline\":\"Lithuania shuts last two Belarus border crossings after balloon incursions\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-27T14:28:48+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-10T12:05:06+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/161785\/\"},\"wordCount\":207,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/161785\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/medininkai_vsat_1128x752.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/161785\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/161785\/\",\"name\":\"Lithuania shuts last two Belarus border crossings after balloon incursions | Pozirk\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/161785\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/161785\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/medininkai_vsat_1128x752.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-27T14:28:48+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-10T12:05:06+00:00\",\"description\":\"October 27, Pozirk. 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