According to information on the official website, Vilnius International Airport temporarily ceased operations during nighttime hours from 22:16 to 4:50 (Moscow time).
As explained by the press service, the basis for this was received reports of balloons moving toward the airport. The imposed restrictions affected approximately 30 flights and around six thousand travelers. Some flights were canceled, while others were redirected to alternative airports.
On the night of October 4-5, Lithuanian airspace was disrupted by 25 balloons, which are frequently used by smugglers. This was reported by LRT with reference to the National Crisis Management Center.
According to a representative of the center, the balloons arrived from Belarusian territory. In the Vilnius region, 13-14 such objects were recorded, including two noted directly above the capital's airport. The Lithuanian Border Guard reported seven balloons detected overnight, containing 12 thousand packs of cigarettes.
Back in May, Lithuanian border guards noted a sharp increase in cases of using balloons for smuggling from Belarus. Just from January to May of this year, over 230 such incidents were recorded—exceeding the figures for the entire previous year.
In September, there were instances of Russian drones entering Polish and Romanian airspace, and MiG-31 fighters entering Estonia's zone. At the end of last month, unidentified drones began appearing near European airports and military facilities. Their sudden appearances and disappearances forced the suspension of airport operations. Over several days, similar mysterious incidents occurred in Sweden, Norway, Lithuania, France, the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark.