Vilnius airport, again blocked due to suspicious balloons. Lithuania accuses a “hybrid attack” orchestrated by Belarus
Vilnius Airport. Photo source: Dreamstime.com
The airport in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, announced on Sunday that it had temporarily suspended operations after suspicious objects, possibly balloons, were spotted in the airspace, the latest incident in a series of disruptions to air traffic in the Baltic state, Reuters notes.
In recent months, European aviation has repeatedly faced chaos caused by drone sightings or incursions, including in Copenhagen and Brussels, and Vilnius airport has been closed at least ten times since early October.
Lithuania has said that weather balloons used by smugglers are being used to transport smuggled cigarettes and accuses Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko of allowing the practice, calling it a form of “hybrid attack”.
In October, Lithuania closed both border crossings with Belarus because of the balloons, but reopened them last week after disruptions to air traffic appeared to have stopped.
Lukashenko called the border closure a “crazy scam”, accusing the West of waging a hybrid war against Belarus and Russia and ushering in a new era of division through barbed wire.
Photo source: Dreamstime.com
