Lithuania has closed its border crossings with Belarus after weather balloons used by smugglers entered the country’s airspace, officials said Wednesday.
The National Crisis Management Center said the decision followed a temporary suspension of air traffic at Vilnius Airport on Tuesday night due to the balloons.
“The decision will be reassessed once the airport reopens,” said center director Vilmantas Vitkauskas.
Authorities say smugglers use weather balloons to transport contraband cigarettes from Belarus into Lithuania.