Airport in Lithuanian capital closes again to Belarusian balloons

Vilnius Airport said it temporarily suspended operations on Sunday due to the suspected presence of balloons in its airspace, the latest in a series of disruptions to air traffic in the Baltic country.

European air traffic has been repeatedly crippled by drone airspace intrusions in recent months, including incidents in Copenhagen and Brussels, and Vilnius airport has been closed at least ten times since the beginning of October.

The Baltic country said the weather balloons used by smugglers are used to transport contraband cigarettes and accused Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of condoning the practice - describing it as a form of "hybrid attack".

Lithuania closed both border crossings with Belarus in October in response to the balloons, but reopened them last week as incidents of disruption to air traffic appeared to have subsided.

Lukashenko described the border closure as a "crazy deception" and accused the West of waging a hybrid war against Belarus and Russia, which he said was ushering in a new era of the Iron Curtain.

(reuters, hal)