Overview
- Authorities reported 66 objects entering from Belarus in one night and said the latest disruption affected 47 flights and about 7,000 passengers.
- Lithuania says the large uncrewed balloons carry contraband cigarettes and constitute a hybrid tactic, a claim Belarus rejects as it labels the response a “crazy gamble.”
- Border crossings were shut to most traffic pending a cabinet decision, with exceptions for diplomats and EU citizens leaving Belarus.
- Lithuania’s foreign minister urged the EU to expand and synchronize sanctions on Belarus, including aviation-related measures, as work on joint air-defense initiatives continues.
- President Gitanas Nausėda said he may consider banning transit of Belarusian goods to Russia’s Kaliningrad, while the foreign ministry lodged a formal protest over repeated airspace violations.