Vilnius airport shuts down over suspected balloon

Vilnius airport shuts down over suspected balloon
Reuters

Vilnius Airport in Lithuania suspended operations again on Wednesday after suspected balloons were spotted in its airspace, marking the latest in a series of similar incidents near the Belarus border.

Lithuania says balloons are sent by smugglers transporting cigarettes from Belarus, but also blames Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, for not stopping what it calls a form of "hybrid attack".

Lukashenko has accused the West of fighting a hybrid war against Belarus and Russia.

The Vilnius airport, located some 30 kilometres (19 miles) from Belarus, has been closed more than 10 times since early October as a result of similar incidents.

Diplomatic barbs between both countries were exchanged on Monday (1 December) with each side accusing the other of airspace violations.

Both sides have summoned diplomats from the other in recent days. 

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