Lithuania issues strong protest to Belarus over airspace violations by smuggling balloons

Lithuania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has formally lodged a strong protest with Belarus after smuggling balloons launched from its territory violated Lithuanian airspace and posed a threat to civil aviation, state news agency ELTA reported on Friday.

The ministry also condemned the growing flows of organised illegal migration from Belarus, noting that Lithuanian authorities have already intercepted 347 attempts to illegally cross the state border this year.

Lithuania demanded that Belarus immediately cease its systematic violations of both airspace and land borders, warning that failure to do so would result in countermeasures. “As these unlawful actions persist, Lithuania reserves the right to reintroduce restrictions at border crossing points and implement additional measures to protect its airspace, civil aviation, and national security,” the ministry stated.

On Thursday evening, Vilnius Airport was temporarily closed due to the balloons, with restrictions in place from 10:30 PM until 5:15 AM Friday. Eight flights were diverted to Kaunas Airport, two to Riga, nine were cancelled, and five delayed. Some disruptions to flight schedules may persist through Friday and Saturday due to disrupted crew and aircraft rotations.

This was the second such incident in a week. Last Friday, airspace restrictions lasting over an hour forced one flight with 87 passengers to divert to Copenhagen, while a morning flight to the Danish capital was cancelled.

Passengers affected by the disruptions are advised to contact their airlines for further details.