Air alert declared in Lithuania due to balloons with cigarettes: suspicion of Belarus involvement.

Flying balloons with smuggled cigarettes closed the airport in Lithuania

According to The Sun: Vilnius Airport in Lithuania was closed on Sunday evening due to the appearance of 25 weather balloons filled with thousands of cigarettes. This was reported by the National Center for Crisis Management.

Two of the balloons, which arrived from neighboring Belarus, flew directly over the airport. There are suspicions regarding Russian interference, as Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is a close ally of Vladimir Putin.

Lukashenko has ruled Belarus for over 30 years, benefiting from Russian subsidies and support, which allowed Russia to use its territory to send troops to Ukraine in February 2022.

The helium-inflated balloons were carrying thousands of counterfeit cigarette packages. Because of the airport closure, 30 flights were canceled, affecting 6000 passengers. The airport also warned of possible delays on Monday.

These airspace violations occurred against the backdrop of rising tensions in Europe following numerous incidents involving drones, likely related to Russia.

Drones caused chaos at German airports

The closure of Munich Airport occurred on Friday due to the appearance of drones spotted near the airport, just days after a bomb threat. The airport was paralyzed when mysterious drones forced the closure of both runways.

Thousands of passengers found themselves without shelter as the city prepared for the final week of Oktoberfest. German police confirmed that several drones had been spotted in the airport area, but they could not be tracked.

Flight delays also occurred after French troops seized a Russian vessel, possibly linked to the mysterious drones that breached airspace in Denmark.

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt noted that the threat posed by drones is 'high' and that the country must take measures for defense.

'This is an abstract threat, but very concrete in specific cases,' Dobrindt told reporters in Berlin.

European authorities are on heightened alert due to recent drone incidents that have closed several airports.

The situation in European airspace remains tense. Incidents involving drones and balloons continue to raise concerns, prompting governments to take additional measures for security. Such cases indicate new challenges facing aviation infrastructure in the region.