Lithuania's prime minister told the BBC that the country has established evacuation plans in response to threats from Russia. This incident marks the 10th time this year the capital's airport closed due to smuggled balloons, with the previous disruption recorded in June.
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
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Lithuania Makes Evacuation Plans After 10 Belarus Balloon Attacks This Year
Geopolitics29 days ago
Belarus launched balloons toward the Vilnius Airport area on Sept. 21, forcing the suspension of flight operations from 23:25 to 02:45. Lithuanian authorities classified the activity as a hybrid attack, which led to flight diversions to Riga, including Lufthansa flight DLH898 from Frankfurt. A NOTAM prohibited aircraft from the airport's CTR/TMA area during the event to mitigate the risk posed by unidentified objects.
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