{"id":161891,"date":"2025-10-28T13:25:41","date_gmt":"2025-10-28T10:25:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/161891\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","slug":"lukasenka-tells-lithuania-to-deal-with-cigarette-smuggling-on-its-territory","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/161891\/","title":{"rendered":"\u0141uka\u0161enka tells Lithuania to deal with cigarette smuggling on its territory"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n (Belarusian leader's press office)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

October 28, Pozirk.<\/em><\/strong> Speaking at the III Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security on October 28, Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka denounced Lithuania\u2019s closure of border checkpoints as \u201ca crazy gamble\u201d aimed at disrupting the forum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His comments come the day after Lithuania closed the \u0160al\u010dininkai and Medininkai border crossings for an indefinite period, citing an influx of cigarette-smuggling balloons from Belarus. Vilnius Airport was forced to suspend operations four times for several hours due to the airspace violations, causing flight delays and cancellations that affected thousands of passengers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLithuania considers the deliberate inaction of Belarusian institutions to be a hybrid attack and is closing its state border with Belarus until further notice,\u201d the Lithuanian foreign ministry said on X.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka dismissed Lithuania\u2019s explanation of the closure as \u201cabsurd.\u201d \u201cEven for a small country like Lithuania, this is small,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that Lithuanian officials have demanded that Minsk apologize for launching balloons into their territory. \u201cYou know, one should always apologize if one is guilty. If they prove that we are to blame, we will be ready to discuss it publicly and certainly apologize,\u201d the Belarusian ruler said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He advised Lithuania to deal with the issue domestically: \u201cIf small balloons carrying cigarettes or something else are flying there, I believe the problem should be solved within their territory. Because they don\u2019t just fly to nowhere. Someone receives them and someone profits. They need to identify and root out these schemes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka also referred to the recent closure of the Polish border, calling it \u201can element of hybrid warfare.\u201d According to him, the measure harmed not only Belarusians but also Poland, which, he said, used to earn 65\u201370 percent of its transit revenue from China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNow they\u2019re trying to find a way out of this situation. Unlikely. You know China and its approach to such matters,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The border crossings in Medininkai and \u0160al\u010dininkai were the only two checkpoints handling all cross-border traffic between Lithuania and Belarus after Vilnius closed the \u0160umskas and Tvere\u010dius crossings in 2023 and the Lavori\u0161k\u0117s and Raigardas checkpoints in 2024, citing national security and smuggling concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cigarette smuggling remains a lucrative illegal trade: while legally sold cigarettes are of higher quality, they cost in Lithuania three to four times more than those produced in Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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