Smuggling balloons disrupted Vilnius airport operations
During the night from Sunday to Monday, flights at Vilnius airport had to be temporarily restricted due to unlawful balloons from a neighbouring country. Five such devices were spotted in the capital and Šalčininkai area.
Smuggling balloons disrupted Vilnius airport operations
Due to illegal aircraft arriving from the east, the capital's airport operated on a restricted schedule for approximately two hours on Monday night. The incident affected five passenger flights, which were used by nearly five hundred people.
According to state crisis institution data, five suspicious flying objects were spotted during the night in Vilnius district and Šalčininkai territories. It was determined that they descended towards the west and north-west direction from the capital. Search teams continue to look for these devices and possible parcels.
State Defence Council chairman Vladislovas Kondratovičius told the media that the current situation differs considerably from what occurred at the end of last year. Back then, dozens of such objects would take off at once, whereas now only a few do. According to the minister, this demonstrates that previously well-organised criminals were operating, whereas currently their activity has been substantially curtailed.
Despite the reduction in incidents, officials do not downplay the threat. More than seventy-five people have already been detained on suspicion of involvement in this unlawful activity. Legislative amendments that have already been adopted have started to take effect, and another package of legal acts is planned to be presented shortly.
This year, the airport has already been forced to alter its operating procedures nine times due to similar aircraft. Last year, such cases affected over three hundred aircraft routes, nearly fifty-seven thousand passengers, and caused almost sixty hours of disruption to airport operations. Lithuanian government representatives assess these flights as a hybrid attack from Minsk.
Source: 15min