Lithuania Closes Borders Amid Smugglers' Balloon Incident

Lithuania has temporarily closed its border crossings with Belarus after detecting smugglers' balloons in its airspace. The situation also led to the suspension of air traffic at Vilnius Airport. Authorities will reassess the decision to maintain these closures as the situation evolves, according to officials.

In a calculated move to safeguard its airspace, Lithuania has shut down its border crossing points with Belarus. This comes in response to the latest incursion of smugglers' balloons, as stated by the National Crisis Management Centre on Wednesday.

The presence of these balloons also led to the suspension of flights at Vilnius Airport, with operations halting late Tuesday. This precautionary measure aims to ensure the safety of air traffic and prevent further unauthorized entries.

Vilmantas Vitkauskas, head of the Crisis Management Centre, assured reporters that the decision would undergo review once the airspace is deemed secure, indicating a temporary nature to these stringent measures.

(With inputs from agencies.)