Lithuania closes border with Belarus

Following an increase in the number of weather balloons from Belarus in Lithuania last week and disruption at Vilnius Airport, the Lithuanian government decided on Wednesday to close its border with Belarus until 30 November, with exceptions for certain groups of travelers, Report informs via LSM.

According to the government's decision, the last two Lithuanian border checkpoints on the border with Belarus - in Medininkai and Šalčininkai - will be closed for one month.

The border crossing at Šalčininkai will be completely suspended, while the one at Medininkai will be restricted, with exceptions for certain categories of travelers who will be allowed to cross the border there.

It has already been reported that traffic at Vilnius Airport was disrupted four times last week and five times in October due to smugglers' balloons. At Kaunas airport, balloons also disrupted take-offs and landings on the night between Friday and Saturday.

After Lithuania gradually closed four of its six border checkpoints with Belarus since 2023, built a physical fence along the border and reinforced border security, weather balloons have become one of the most common methods of smuggling tobacco products.