25 Cigarette-Smuggling Balloons Disrupt Lithuania Airspace, Halt 30 Flights

Up to 25 helium weather balloons carrying smuggled cigarettes from Belarus entered Lithuanian airspace, leading to the closure of Vilnius Airport and causing flight disruptions impacting nearly 6,000 passengers and 30 flights. Lithuanian authorities, including the National Crisis Management Centre (NCMC), have recovered several of these balloons, which are a cheaper smuggling method compared to drones, carrying thousands of cigarette packs. This incident adds to growing security concerns in the region, especially given Lithuania's proximity to Belarus—a close ally of Russia—and recent NATO airspace violations linked to Russian activities. Lithuania has responded by declaring a no-fly zone near its border with Belarus to counteract such incursions, amid fears that Moscow may be testing NATO’s defenses. The event underscores ongoing tensions in Eastern Europe, where smuggling and airspace violations are intertwined with broader geopolitical conflicts involving Russia and its allies. Flight operations at Vilnius airport resumed after several hours, though delays continued due to the disruption of crew and aircraft rotations.