Lithuania Says 'most Tense' Night Due To Weather Probes From Belarus
10- 24.11.2025, 10:45
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Some recorded in Latvia.
Lithuania claimed the "most tense" night in November due to a massive ballooning from Belarus: as a result, Vilnius airport was once again closed, and some weather probes were recorded in neighboring Latvia.
This was reported by LRT.
The head of the National Crisis Management Center (NKVC) Vilmantas Vitkauskas said that in the last 24 hours Vilnius airport has twice suspended operations due to the threat of smuggled balloons from Belarus.
"We had probably the most intense night in the whole of November, as the launch of weather balloons started around 17:00 (November 23, - Ed.) from Belarus and lasted until 02:00 (November 24, - Ed.)," Vitkauskas said.
According to NKVC, 13 flights were canceled and six flights were diverted to Kaunas.
"More than a thousand passengers had to be transferred from Kaunas to Vilnius and vice versa. Some passengers who were supposed to fly out of Vilnius were transported to Kaunas and were able to continue their journey from there," he said.
He said that over the past 24 hours, balloons, of which more than 40 have been recorded, have also been detected in Latvian airspace.
It is not yet clear how the smuggled balloons got into Latvian airspace, he said.
"It is also important to note that this attack probably spread over a wider geographical area and, according to our information, our Latvian neighbors also received more than 30 signals on their radars," the NKVC head said.
He emphasized that Belarus is "expanding its geography," and now it is not only a national problem, but also a regional one.
Vitkauskas said a decision on the region's response should be made on Monday, November 24.
As of Monday morning, six balloons had been found, and the search continues.
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