Lithuania summoned a Belarusian diplomat over drones in its airspace
In Lithuania, there is renewed talk of a threat from Belarus. On the night of May 13, weather balloons launched from Belarusian territory entered the country’s airspace. As a result, Vilnius Airport was even forced to temporarily suspend operations. This was reported by LRT.
Officials in Vilnius believe this is no longer a coincidence but part of hybrid pressure from Alexander Lukashenko’s regime. That is why the Belarusian chargé d’affaires was summoned to the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and handed a note of protest. According to Lithuanian officials, the country’s airspace was violated by weather balloons that flew in from Belarusian territory. Such balloons can be used for smuggling or other provocations. Recently, similar incidents near the border have been occurring with increasing frequency.
The greatest concern was that the balloons posed a danger to civil aviation. Due to the risk to passenger aircraft, air traffic controllers were forced to quickly impose restrictions in the skies over Vilnius. Operations at the international airport were temporarily suspended.
The Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Minsk must be held accountable for such actions. They directly called the incident a “hybrid attack” against a NATO member state. During a meeting with a Belarusian diplomat, the Lithuanian side emphasized that such flights have long ceased to appear as accidents or technical errors. “We view these recurring incidents as a deliberate provocation,” the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry stated.
Vilnius also emphasized that such actions could have serious consequences for flight safety and international air traffic. This is particularly true given that weather balloons fly uncontrolled and may end up on passenger aircraft routes. Lithuanian authorities are demanding that Belarus cease such actions and refrain from creating new threats in the region. Official Minsk has not yet publicly commented on the situation.
This is not the first conflict between the countries over air incidents. Previously, Lithuania has repeatedly reported attempts to exert pressure at the border, particularly due to the migration crisis, provocations, and flights of various objects from Belarus.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda vetoed a law on the operation of the port of Klaipėda due to a provision that potentially allowed the entry of ships carrying nuclear weapons.
