Lithuania closes Vilnius airport and Belarus border crossings after helium weather balloons drift in, sparking security concerns and disrupting air traffic.
According to Lithuanian officials, traffic at Vilnius Airport was halted until 2 a.m. (2300 GMT), and the Belarusian border will also be closed until the same time.
Drone sightings and other air intrusions have caused several disruptions to European aviation in recent weeks, particularly at airports in Copenhagen, Munich, and the Baltic region.
According to authorities, balloons entering the capital's airspace caused the Vilnius airport to close on Tuesday, Friday, and October 5 of this week.
Lithuania has claimed that smugglers are sending balloons with illegal smokes, but it also accuses Russian President Vladimir Putin's close ally Alexander Lukashenko of failing to put an end to the practice.
Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene on Friday said the country's National Security Commission will meet next week to assess the situation.
What defensive measures can airports take against such balloons?
Emplace radar and upstanding surveillance systems to describe balloons beforehand in their flight paths. Use drones or interceptor aircraft to visually identify and track suspicious balloons in defined airspace.
Employ electronic jamming or net prisoner bias to disable or physically block balloons before they reach critical areas like airfields. Coordinate rapid-fire- response brigades on the ground to probe and remove balloons safely when they land or enter field zones.
Increase airspace monitoring in cooperation with public defense and border authorities to insure timely cautions as balloons approach sensitive zones. Enhance field functional protocols to temporarily halt breakouts or deflect air business if balloon pitfalls are detected, minimizing threat to aircraft and passengers.