{"id":204893,"date":"2026-09-23T13:34:21","date_gmt":"2026-09-23T10:34:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/204893\/"},"modified":"2026-09-23T13:34:23","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T10:34:23","slug":"lithuania-intercepts-drone-carrying-belarusian-cigarettes-worth-over-e5500","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/204893\/","title":{"rendered":"Lithuania intercepts drone carrying Belarusian cigarettes worth over \u20ac5,500"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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September 23, Pozirk.<\/strong>\u00a0Lithuanian border guards intercepted another drone carrying 1,000 packs of smuggled Belarusian-made cigarettes worth \u20ac5,510, the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The incident occurred on the night of September 22 near the village of Li\u0161k\u016bni\u0161k\u0117s in the \u0160al\u010dininkai district near the shared border with Belarus. Officers used anti-drone equipment after detecting the UAV on a thermal imaging screen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the border control agency, Lithuanian officers have intercepted 58 cigarette-smuggling drones so far this year. Lithuania reported downing 59 such drones in 2025 and 54 in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tensions between Belarus and Lithuania over cigarette-smuggling by air started rising last October, forcing Lithuanian authorities to close the border and suspend operations at Vilnius International Airport, located close to the Belarusian border, over incursion of smugglers\u2019 balloons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vilnius declared an \u201cextreme situation,\u201d a low-level emergency, on December 9 in response to what it called \u201ca hybrid attack from Belarus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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