Lithuania has again detected unidentified flying objects, allegedly launched from Belarus.
The country has temporarily closed two border checkpoints with Belarus - Salcininkai and Medininkai. The restrictions will remain in place at least until noon on Saturday, October 25, LRT reported.
Officials moved to close the crossings after another incident involving unidentified flying objects detected coming from Belarus.
Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene said the closures were a necessary step coordinated with the National Security Commission. The commission is set to reconvene next week to assess how effective the measures have been.
“We want these decisions to be painful both for smugglers and for the Lukashenko regime, which allows them to act with impunity,” the prime minister said.
The trigger was the renewed appearance of meteorological balloons entering from Belarus and spotted over Lithuania. According to the National Crisis Management Center, dozens of navigation points were tracked moving along the Druskininkai–Salcininkai corridor. The objects temporarily halted operations at the country’s two main airports, Vilnius and Kaunas.
Airspace provocations from Belarus have persisted for months. In October alone, Vilnius Airport suspended operations several times due to similar objects. The latest incident occurred on October 21. At the time, Ruginiene warned that if the situation repeated, the government would close the border - a promise now carried out.
