VILNIUS, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Lithuania's Vilnius airport said on Wednesday it had halted operations due to suspected balloons in its airspace, the latest in a string of such incidents in recent months.
Lithuania Airport Closure: Balloons Disrupt Flights Again
VILNIUS, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Lithuania's Vilnius airport suspended flights for a second time on Wednesday due to suspected balloons in its airspace, the operator said in a statement, the latest in a string of such incidents in recent months.
Lithuania says balloons are sent by smugglers transporting cigarettes from Belarus, but also blames Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, for not stopping what it calls a form of "hybrid attack".
Lukashenko has accused the West of fighting a hybrid war against Belarus and Russia.
The Vilnius airport, located some 30 kilometres (19 miles) from Belarus, has been closed more than 10 times since early October as a result of similar incidents.
(Reporting by Andrius Sytas; writing by Simon Johnson; editing by Gareth Jones, Leslie Adler and Terje Solsvik)
