{"id":168549,"date":"2025-12-17T11:37:59","date_gmt":"2025-12-17T08:37:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/168549\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"poland-bound-balloon-with-smuggled-cigarettes-strays-into-ukraine","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/168549\/","title":{"rendered":"Poland-bound balloon with smuggled cigarettes strays into Ukraine"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n (State Border Guard Service of Ukraine) <\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

December 17, Pozirk. <\/em><\/strong>A weather balloon carrying smuggled Belarusian cigarettes was discovered in the Volyn region in <\/em><\/strong>northwestern Ukraine near the border with Belarus, Ukrainian border guards reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shipment contained 1,500 packs of Minsk cigarettes bearing Belarusian excise stamps worth more than \u20ac1,800, as well as two GPS devices fitted with SIM cards from Belarusian and Polish mobile operators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Based on the labeling of the tobacco products, the method of delivery and the presence of GPS devices, border guards concluded the shipment was destined for Poland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier this month, Latvian border police recovered weather balloons with large batches of smuggled Belarusian cigarettes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nearly 600 cigarette-smuggling weather balloons and 197 drones had been spotted in Lithuania since January, with the number of incidents rising significantly since October. The incursions disrupted hundreds of flights and caused tensions between Belarus and Lithuania.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last week, Vilnius declared an \u201cextreme situation,\u201d a low-level emergency, in response to what it called \u201ca hybrid attack from Belarus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yesterday, Lithuania\u2019s police arrested 21 suspects in a large-scale crackdown on smugglers using weather balloons to send cigarettes from Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cigarettes cost an equivalent of around \u20ac1 at stores in Belarus, and are significantly cheaper than legally sold cigarettes in the European Union, where prices start at around \u20ac5.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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