A wave of smugglers’ balloons launched from Belarus late Tuesday was the most intense recorded this year, forcing repeated closures of Vilnius Airport and disrupting travel for more than 1,700 passengers, Lithuanian officials said Wednesday.
Vilmantas Vitkauskas, head of the National Crisis Management Centre, said authorities detected 42 balloon flights on radar overnight – far more than on any previous occasion this year.
“This night was probably the most intense so far this year,” Vitkauskas told LRT RADIO. “In total, we recorded 42 cases on our radars.”
By Wednesday morning, eight smugglers’ balloons had been found, four people were detained and the remains of several other balloons were discovered, he said. Law enforcement and security services have deployed significant resources to intercept smugglers attempting to retrieve the cargo and to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Vitkauskas said the surge in activity may have occurred with the knowledge of the Belarusian regime.
Lithuanian officers have detected smugglers’ balloons on radar on six days this year, Vitkauskas said, but those incidents involved far fewer flights and posed no threat to civil aviation.
“This night was exceptional, and the airport was closed,” he said.
Vilnius International Airport was shut down three times late Tuesday evening because of the balloon flights, according to the National Crisis Management Centre. Authorities worked to minimise disruptions by reopening the airport when radar detections no longer posed a risk to aircraft, Vitkauskas said.
Balloon in central Vilnius
Police said one smugglers’ balloon landed in central Vilnius, where an attempted cargo pickup led to an officer being injured.
According to the Police Department, officers received a report at about 20:00 that a weather balloon suspected of carrying contraband cigarettes had landed near the Neris River on Kareivių Street. About an hour later, a Mercedes-Benz ML350 drove up to a box found at the site.
When the person who exited the vehicle noticed police officers, the individual fled back to the car. As the vehicle sped away, it struck a uniformed Vilnius County police officer, police said. The officer did not seek medical attention despite experiencing physical pain.
Officers seized 1,500 packs of NZ Gold cigarettes bearing Belarusian excise stamps at the scene.
Smugglers’ balloons last disrupted operations at Vilnius Airport on December 6. Last autumn and winter, such flights from Belarus halted operations at Vilnius Airport more than a dozen times and once at Kaunas Airport.
In mid-December, the Lithuanian government declared an emergency situation, citing the balloons as a threat to civil aviation. Lithuanian politicians have described the incursions as a form of hybrid attack by Minsk.
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