Vilnius, Lithuania — Lithuania has temporarily closed its two largest airports and several border crossings with Belarus after radar detected dozens of helium balloons drifting into its airspace, marking the third airspace intrusion this month in the NATO member state.

Authorities ordered the shutdown of Vilnius and Kaunas airports on Friday night as a safety precaution, with operations expected to resume by 2am local time (23:00 GMT). The Belarus border crossings will remain closed until midday Sunday, according to Lithuania’s National Crisis Management Centre.

---

Repeated Incursions Spark Security Concerns

European aviation has faced multiple disruptions in recent weeks from unidentified drones and aerial incursions, including incidents in Copenhagen, Munich, and other Baltic airports.

Lithuania’s government said radar detected “tens of balloons” entering from Belarus late Friday. Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė said the National Security Commission would meet next week to discuss stronger countermeasures.

“We will assess what can be done in the short term that would be painful to the smugglers and to Lukashenko’s regime, which allows them to thrive,” Ruginienė said in a statement.

---

Smuggling or Provocation?

Officials in Vilnius have blamed smugglers using helium balloons to transport contraband cigarettes from Belarus. However, they also accuse Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Russia’s Vladimir Putin, of turning a blind eye to — or even encouraging — such incursions as hybrid provocations.

Lithuanian authorities say Vilnius Airport has already been forced to close twice this month — once earlier this week and once on October 5 — after smuggler balloons entered restricted airspace.

---

Russian Jets Violate Lithuanian Airspace

The balloon incident comes just a day after Lithuania accused Russia of violating its airspace. Two Russian military aircraft reportedly flew 700 metres (0.43 miles) into Lithuanian territory from the Kaliningrad exclave on Thursday evening.

The Lithuanian Armed Forces said the aircraft appeared to be refuelling during an exercise when they briefly crossed into Lithuanian airspace.

President Gitanas Nausėda condemned the event on X (formerly Twitter):

“This is a blatant breach of international law and the territorial integrity of Lithuania. We will summon Russian embassy representatives to protest against such reckless and dangerous behaviour.”

---

Moscow Denies Responsibility

Russia’s Ministry of Defence denied the allegations, claiming that its military flights “did not deviate from their route” and “did not violate the borders of other states.”

Similar incidents have been reported in Estonia and Poland in recent weeks, further heightening fears that Moscow is testing NATO’s defensive responses in the region.

---

Rising Tensions in the Baltic Region

The latest balloon and aircraft incursions underscore growing tensions along NATO’s eastern flank, where countries such as Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland have reinforced air defences amid Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.

A German Patriot air defence system remains deployed at Vilnius Airport as part of NATO’s Baltic air-policing mission, which has been intensified since early 2025.

Regional security analysts say these low-level provocations — from contraband balloons to airspace violations — reflect Moscow’s effort to probe NATO’s readiness while destabilizing neighbouring states through unconventional means.