32 h. ago Lithuania says it will shoot down smuggling balloons from Russia’s ally Belarus

PM blames Alexander Lukashenko for not stopping ‘hybrid attacks’, which closed Vilnius airport four times last weekEurope live – latest updatesLithuania’s prime minister has authorised the shooting down of smuggling balloons that cross the border from Russia’s ally Belarus, calling them “hybrid attacks” in an echo of the term used to describe Moscow’s destabilisation efforts.Incursions by balloons carrying contraband cigarettes prompted the Nato and EU member state to close Vilnius airport four times last week and shut its border crossings with Belarus temporarily. Continue reading...

Events

33 h. ago Lithuania closes border with Belarus after balloons shut down Vilnius airport – Europe live

66 objects spotted on radars overnight as prime minister says ‘no hybrid attack will be tolerated’ and pledges to shoot down any more balloonsMeanwhile over in the Czech Republic, the country’s president Petr Pavel has tasked the populist billionaire Andrej Babiš with leading talks on forming the new government after recent parliamentary election.Babiš told the president – who defeated him in the 2023 presidential elections – that the coalition talks were already under way, and “promised to hand over the text of the coalition agreement and programme priorities” later this week, according to a readout issued by the presidential office. Continue reading...

Society

33 h. ago Lithuania draws up plans to shut Belarus border crossings indefinitely after balloon disruptions

Lithuania’s prime minister says her country has drawn up plans to shut its border crossings with Belarus indefinitely, with some exemptions

Politics

35 h. ago Lithuania to close border with Belarus after balloons shut down Vilnius airport – Europe live

66 objects spotted on radars overnight leading to fourth closure of airport in a week as prime minister says any more balloons will be shot downLithuania’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.” Continue reading...

Society

3 d. ago Nato member state shuts down capital airport and border crossings over helium balloon intrusions

Traffic at Vilnius Airport was suspended until 2 am local time while the Belarus border will remain shut until the same time, Lithuanian officials said.

Politics

3 d. ago Lithuania shuts airports and Belarus border after weather balloon incursion

Vilnius and Kaunas airports closed down after balloons drift into country’s airspace for third time this monthLithuania closed its two biggest airports on Friday and shut crossings on its border with Belarus after helium weather balloons drifted into its territory, the third such occurrence in the Baltic state this month.European aviation has repeatedly been thrown into chaos in recent weeks by drone sightings and other air incursions, including at airports in Copenhagen, Munich and the Baltic region. Continue reading...

Society