NATO member closes airport and border crossings after 'smuggling balloons' enter airspace from Russian ally Belarus
The country's president described the operation as a hybrid attack as the airspace was closed for the second night running.
Lithuania's largest airport was closed on Sunday, alongside the nation's border crossings with its neighbour and Russian ally Belarus, after several objects entered its airspace for the fourth time in a week.
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The NATO member said Vilnius Airport was closed after the objects, thought to be helium balloons, were used by smugglers transporting contraband cigarettes.
But it also blasted Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, for allowing the operation to continue.
“The National Security Commission will meet next week to assess … what can be done short-term that would be painful to the smugglers and to Lukashenko’s regime, which allows them to thrive,” Lithuania’s Prime Minister Igna Ruginiene said in a statement.
It marks the fourth time this week air traffic in Vilnius has been disrupted.
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Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has described the incursions as a hybrid attack.
“The President views the incidents of recent days and the disruptions to airport operations as a hybrid attack on Lithuania that requires both a symmetrical and asymmetrical response,” his office said in a statement.
It comes amid a series of drone sightings in European airports.
Munich Airport in Germany was forced to shut its airspace twice in less than 24 hours on October 17 after drones were seen in its airspace.
Meanwhile, last month, Copenhagen and Oslo Airports were forced to shut temporarily after sightings of the devices halted all take-offs and landings.
Drones were also spotted near Danish military facilities, raising fears about the NATO countries’ vulnerability to drone attacks and potential Russian involvement.
It came amid Russian drones and fighter jets entering allied skies in what officials believed was a Kremlin attempt to test Western resolve.
The escalation has pushed Nato countries closer to the possibility of direct confrontation with Russia.
Even Donald Trump – who accused European governments at the UN of “destroying their heritage” through immigration – backed the alliance, saying he would support Nato forces shooting down Russian aircraft if they entered allied territory.
Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte said last month: “We do not want to see a continuation of this dangerous pattern by Russia, intentional or not.
“But we stand ready and willing to continue to defend every inch of allied territory.”