Lithuania announced on Wednesday that it will reopen its border crossings with Belarus, ending a closure imposed last month due to airspace disruptions caused by balloons originating from Belarus.
The border had been closed until the end of November in response to incidents where balloons interfered with air traffic, including closures at Vilnius airport. Lithuania has described these incursions as a “hybrid attack” and held Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko responsible for failing to stop them.
Lukashenko, in turn, dismissed the closure as a “crazy scam” and accused the West of waging a hybrid war against Belarus and Russia, warning that it signals a new era of division. The exact timing for the reopening has not yet been confirmed.
PRIVALKA, BELARUS – OCTOBER 15, 2013. checkpoint Privalka on the Belarusian-Lithuanian border // Shutterstock