Twenty-five meteorological balloons, typically used by smugglers, entered Lithuanian airspace from Belarus overnight Saturday, authorities said.
According to the National Crisis Management Centre (NKVC), 13 to 14 balloons were spotted over Vilnius and the surrounding region, including two above Vilnius Airport.
“These were airspace violations – a total of 25 meteorological balloons entering from Belarus,” NKVC spokesman Darius Buta told LRT RADIO on Sunday.
Lithuanian Airports said Vilnius Airport airspace was closed at 22:16 Saturday because of the balloons. Flights resumed at 04:50 Sunday. The shutdown affected about 30 flights and 6,000 passengers.
Some flights from Vilnius may still face delays Sunday due to crew and aircraft rotation issues. Six flights – to Zurich, London, Frankfurt, Kutaisi, Warsaw and Copenhagen – were cancelled.
The State Border Guard Service (VSAT) said border officers detected seven of the balloons overnight in the Šalčininkai, Varėna, Druskininkai, Vilnius and Lazdijai districts. Those balloons were carrying 12,000 packs of cigarettes, VSAT spokesman Giedrius Mišutis told BNS.
NKVC head Vilmantas Vitkauskas said favourable southern winds allowed smugglers to launch the balloons.
“It’s very important to find them and determine who intends to retrieve them,” he said, adding that police were actively searching for the balloons.
Vilnius County police confirmed they were inspecting possible landing sites and had found traces of cigarettes in several locations. “Once officers locate a balloon, they carry out initial procedures and hand over information to the border guards, who lead the investigation,” the department said.
A similar incident occurred in August, when 26 smuggling balloons entered Lithuanian airspace, according to Vitkauskas.
Mišutis said the balloons likely penetrated so deep into Lithuania because smugglers launched them not directly from the border but several kilometres inside Belarus. “They rise vertically and cross the border at high altitude, then descend much farther inland — that’s how they reached Vilnius,” he said.
Vitkauskas noted it was unlikely the smugglers aimed to disrupt airport operations but added that “the worst-case scenario cannot be ruled out”.
“Smugglers usually launch the balloons where it’s easiest to collect the cargo – not near the airport, where search operations are intense,” he said.
The NKVC is still determining how many balloons landed in Lithuania and how many carried contraband.
“Such balloons are typically used by smugglers. If the wind direction is favourable, their numbers can reach dozens or more,” Buta said.
According to VSAT data, including Saturday’s incident, 501 smuggling balloons have been detected so far this year – 2.2 times more than in all of 2024, when 226 were recorded. Mišutis said the balloons are used exclusively to transport cigarettes.
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