Vilnius airport halted operations again overnight from Sunday to Monday after balloons were detected flying toward the facility, Lithuania’s authorities said, calling the incident part of a “hybrid attack”.
Temporary restrictions on the airspace above Vilnius airport were in force from 1:40 a.m. to 4:40 a.m. local time (12:40 a.m.–3:40 a.m. in Poland), according to a statement on the airport’s website. Operations had already been suspended on Sunday evening for the same reason, with those restrictions lifted after midnight.
Lithuanian officials say the balloons are launched from Belarus by cigarette smugglers, and blame Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko for failing to stop the practice. They describe the incidents as a form of hybrid attack.
Last month, Lithuania closed border crossings with Belarus after its airspace was violated by meteorological balloons coming from that country. The crossings were reopened on Thursday.
At the start of last week, authorities reported a large law-enforcement operation targeting smugglers using balloons to move contraband from Belarus. More than 100 officers carried out nearly 30 searches in Vilnius and in towns near the Belarusian border.
Officers found dozens of devices using satellite navigation to locate contraband, as well as communications equipment, phones, weapons, ammunition, drugs, smuggled cigarettes and vehicles used to intercept the balloons. Interior Minister Władysław Kondratowicz said the operation was a clear deterrent signal to smuggling organizers.
Four people were detained, and officials said the number of suspects could rise.
(jh)
Source: Polskie Radio 24