"Каменный лог". Фото ГПК Беларуси.
On Sunday, October 26, from 11:10 p.m. Belarusian time, the passage of vehicles and people through the Medininkai and Šalčininkai border checkpoints was “temporarily suspended” due to balloons entering Lithuanian airspace from Belarus, the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service reported.
Amid the latest balloon incidents, Vilnius Airport has also suspended operations.
“As of 9:42 p.m. this evening, aircraft operations at Vilnius Airport have been temporarily halted. According to initial reports, the decision to impose airspace restrictions was prompted by a balloon (or balloons) flying toward the airport. The airspace restrictions will remain in effect until 1:40 a.m.,” the airport’s press service said. The time cited refers to Lithuanian local time.
Lithuanian Interior Minister Vladislavas Kondratovičius announced that the border crossings with Belarus have been closed indefinitely.
“A decision has been made to close two border checkpoints with Belarus — Šalčininkai and Medininkai — indefinitely, until a separate decision by the National Security Commission,” Kondratovičius wrote on Facebook late Sunday evening.
This marks the fourth closure of border checkpoints with Belarus in the past four days.