Lithuania to close border with Belarus if balloon incidents recur - PM

VILNIUS - Lithuania will completely close its border with Belarus if another wave of smugglers' balloons crosses into its territory, Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene said on Wednesday.

"If such large-scale balloon incursions across our border happen again, we will respond immediately and close the border with Belarus," the prime minister told reporters after a meeting of the National Security Commission.

"We will not make any concessions to Belarus on this matter," she added.

According to Ruginiene, the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) would initially decide to close the border for 24 hours and then ask the government to extend the closure.

The prime minister said she hopes that Belarus, which has significant capacity to stop the flow of balloons, will heed Lithuania's message.

"No one has any illusions that we can sit down at the table and reach agreements with this neighbor, so we are making it clear that if the flow continues, we will take countermeasures," she said.

Ruginiene added that there is currently no evidence that the release of weather balloons is part of a hybrid attack.

"At this point, there is no information to suggest that this is a coordinated operation by (Belarusian authoritarian president Alexander) Lukashenko. It is cigarette smuggling," she said.

Currently, only two border checkpoints with Belarus - Medininkai and Salcininkai - remain operational. They were closed from 2:30 to 9 a.m. on Wednesday by order of SBGS Commander Rustamas Liubajevas because of the balloons.

In response to criticism from Lithuania's national road carriers' association Linava, which complained that such measures hit the sector hard, the prime minister said the authorities must respond.

"I understand that this affects the sector's work, but we cannot fail to react, because the balloons also disrupt airport operations. If we do not respond, the flows will not stop - they will only increase," she said.

As reported by BNS, several dozen balloons used by smugglers to carry cigarettes crossed into Lithuania from Belarus overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday.

The incident disrupted operations at Vilnius Airport, affecting about 30 flights and more than 4,000 passengers, and led to the temporary closure of the Medininkai and Salcininkai border checkpoints.

Ruginiene said the authorities are also preparing other measures, including tougher penalties for smuggling and discussions with Lithuanian businesses on technical ways to prevent such balloons from entering the country.

"By Friday, the interior minister has pledged to present proposals for technical measures to block SIM cards used with the balloons," she said.

The prime minister said the agencies assured her during the meeting that blocking SIM cards is an effective measure, as "there is no point for smugglers to send a shipment if it cannot be retrieved on the other side of the border."

Another meeting of the National Security Commission is planned for next week to review how the measures are being implemented.