Flights were suspended from 10:30pm on Tuesday until 6:30am on Wednesday, following sightings of illicit balloon traffic in Lithuanian airspace, the National Crisis Management Centre (NCMC) said.
Authorities believe the balloons were used to transport contraband cigarettes from Belarus. Thirty flights were cancelled, and incoming aircraft were diverted to Kaunas and Warsaw airports.
“This morning I already demanded that everyone come with concrete solutions,” Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė told reporters at a press conference on Wednesday. “We must find — not debate, but find — what to do.”
The country’s eastern border with Belarus was also closed after the incident. The NCMC said the balloons appeared to have been launched from multiple locations.
Ruginienė said she would convene a National Security Committee meeting on Wednesday afternoon and called on Belarus to take responsibility for the incursions.
It was the second time this month that cigarette-smuggling balloons forced the closure of Vilnius airport. On 5 October, Lithuanian authorities intercepted at least 11 balloons carrying 18,000 packs of illegal cigarettes.
The closures add to a string of recent disruptions to European airspace. Airports in Copenhagen, Munich and the Baltic states have reported drone-related delays in recent months.
The European Union has previously accused Russia of hybrid warfare activities in the region, though Moscow denies any involvement.
An investigation into the latest balloon incident is ongoing, officials said.
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Global oil prices reached a four year high on Monday (9 March), surpassing $119 a barrel, as conflict in the Middle East rumbled on. Meanwhile, the Turkish Military said NATO air defence systems destroyed a missile fired from Iran towards the country.
Global oil prices surpassed $119 a barrel on Monday (9 March, 2026), an almost four year high, as the Middle East conflict rumbled on.
China has urged Afghanistan and Pakistan to resolve their dispute through dialogue after Chinese envoy Yue Xiaoyong met Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, as fighting between the two neighbours entered its eleventh day.
Iranian civilian and military officials have pledged their obedience to the new leader, Ayatollah Seyed Mojtaba Khamenei, with President Masoud Pezeshkian saying his leadership “will herald a new era of dignity and authority for the Iranian nation.”.
Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is a hardline cleric with strong backing from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. His rise signals continuity in Tehran's anti-Western policies.
Global oil prices surpassed $119 a barrel on Monday (9 March, 2026), an almost four year high, as the Middle East conflict rumbled on.
Trump says the United States "don’t need people that join wars after we’ve already won," targeting his criticism at UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Israel continues to fire missles at strategic sites in Iran and Gulf regions report more strikes from Iran.
Iran named Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father Ali Khamenei as supreme leader on Monday (9 March), signaling that hardliners remain firmly in charge, as the week-old U.S.-Israeli war with Iran pushed oil above $100 a barrel.
Entry and exit across the state border between Azerbaijan and Iran for all types of cargo vehicles, including those in transit, will resume on 9 March, according to a statement by the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan.
U.S. President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke by phone on Sunday as tensions between Washington and Westminster deepened over the conflict involving Iran. The call came less than a day after Trump criticised Britain’s response to U.S. strikes on Iranian targets.
Norwegian police are searching for a suspect after an explosion at the U.S. embassy in Oslo on 8 March caused minor damage but no injuries, in what authorities say may have been a deliberate attack linked to the Middle East crisis.
An explosion damaged a synagogue in the Belgian city of Liège early on Monday (9 March) in what authorities said was an antisemitic attack that caused damage but no injuries.
The Group of Seven (G7) finance ministers will meet on Monday to discuss a global rise in oil prices and a joint release of oil from emergency reserves coordinated by the International Energy Agency, the Financial Times reports.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 9th of March, covering the latest developments you need to know.
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