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Lithuania to close border with Belarus, shoot down balloons, prime minister says
We are just getting first lines from the Lithuanian prime minister, Inga Ruginienė, following this morning’s security council meeting.
The government will pursue a plan to close its border with Belarus “except for diplomats and EU citizens leaving Belarus,” she said, and pledged to shoot down any further balloons disrupting the Lithuanian airspace.
“This is how we send a signal to Belarus and say that no hybrid attack will be tolerated here, we will take all the strictest measures to stop such attacks,” she said in comments reported by public broadcaster LRT.
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Lithuania not ruling out Nato Article 4 talks over balloons, Ruginienė says
Lithuania’s Ruginienė also said that the country was not ruling out the possibility it could call for Nato’s Article 4 consultations, Reuters reported.
The Article 4 – not to be mistaken with much more serious Article 5 provision – allows countries to call for Nato talks “whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the parties is threatened.”
The procedure was only used nine times in Nato’s history, but fairly recently triggered by Poland and Estonia after two incidents of Russian airspace violations in September.
Lithuania to close border with Belarus, shoot down balloons, prime minister says
We are just getting first lines from the Lithuanian prime minister, Inga Ruginienė, following this morning’s security council meeting.
The government will pursue a plan to close its border with Belarus “except for diplomats and EU citizens leaving Belarus,” she said, and pledged to shoot down any further balloons disrupting the Lithuanian airspace.
“This is how we send a signal to Belarus and say that no hybrid attack will be tolerated here, we will take all the strictest measures to stop such attacks,” she said in comments reported by public broadcaster LRT.
Almost 30,000 passengers hit by disruptions at Vilnius airport last week
According to Lithuania’s public broadcaster LRT, the Vilnius Airport has reopened this morning with almost 50 flights affected by cancellations, diversions and delays, hitting thousands of passengers.
In total, more than 170 flights were disrupted over the course of the week, complicating the journey of almost 30,000 passengers, the airport operator told LRT.
It was explained that the decision to close the airspace as a precaution was deemed necessary as some of the balloons detected near the airport were believed to weigh up to 50-60 kg, and any impact with an incoming aircraft could have “dramatic” consequences.
Morning opening: Lithuania to consider responding to balloons from Belarus closing its airspace
Jakub Krupa
Lithuania closed its Vilnius Airport for the fourth time in a week last night after several objects, believed to be helium balloons, entered its airspace.
The balloons were primarily believed to be used by smugglers transporting contraband cigarettes from Belarus, but authorities blamed Russia and Belarus for putting more pressure on Vilnius and testing the country’s readiness.
Vilmantas Vitkauskas, head of the National Crisis Management Center, told the country’s national broadcaster LRT that up to 66 objects were spotted on radars on Sunday night.
Deividas Matulionis, a senior advisor to Lithaunia’s president Gitanas Nausėda, said it was part of a “hybrid psychological operation” seeking to disrupt everyday life of Lithuanians.
“We very much hope that immediate action will be taken, but there should also be very strong diplomatic action and certain legal measures, which should be approved by the Seimas as soon as possible,” he told LRT.
The country’s national security council will meet today to discuss next steps, including potential measures on extending the temporary closure of borders with Belarus or restricting transit through the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.
Elsewhere, I will be keeping an eye on:
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the German foreign minister Joseph Wadephul’s visit to Brussels where he is due to meet Nato’s Mark Rutte and senior EU representatives,
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Hungary’s Viktor Orbán’s trip to see Pope Leo at the Vatican and the Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome,
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and the final days of the Dutch election campaign ahead of the polling day on Wednesday.
Lots to cover today. I will bring you all the latest here.
It’s Monday, 27 October 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
