Lithuania airport shuts for a second time on Wednesday over balloons

An information board showing international arrivals is pictured at Vilnius Airport, in Vilnius, Lithuania May 23, 2021. REUTERS/Andrius Sytas

Source: X04302

Lithuania's Vilnius airport suspended flights for a second time on Wednesday due to suspected balloons in its airspace, the operator said in a statement, the latest in a string of such incidents in recent months.

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.

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By Reuters