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Balloons carrying thousands of packs of cigarettes have disrupted flights in Lithuania, as Vilnius Airport was forced to close for several hours when dozens of them drifted across the country's airspace.

Flight Disruptions

The airport closure led to 30 flight cancellations disrupting 6,000 passengers, with airport representatives alerting that further disruptions were possible throughout Monday.

National Security Measures

Officials confirmed that 25 meteorological balloons were observed crossing into Lithuania from neighboring Belarus, with two of which ending up precisely above the airport's airspace.

Approximately 14 of the weather balloons launched over the weekend drifted across the metropolitan zone, which is the location of Lithuania's main urban center and close to the border with Belarus.

Contraband Recovery

No fewer than 11 balloons transporting eighteen thousand packages of black-market cigarettes have now been retrieved, though this number could rise, according to customs agents.

International Illegal Trade

While creating issues, officials emphasized that "Weather devices carrying illegal goods - cigarettes from Belarus - are not unusual in neighboring countries."

To date in the current year, over five hundred weather devices have been recorded entering Lithuania from Belarus, while nearly a thousand were recorded last year.

Neighboring Country Impact

At the same time, the north-eastern Polish territory, which likewise adjoins Belarus, has recorded more than numerous instances in which smuggled items were delivered from its adjacent country employing the balloons.

Criminal Methodology

In response to questions about why criminals use a technique that proves highly susceptible to weather factors rather than easier to manage drones, authorities explained that "Atmospheric equipment are rudimentary tools used by contraband transporters - they are cheaper than drones for carrying smoking materials from Belarus."

Security Service Goals

Authorities continued that "Our services' aim is to confiscate the maximum possible volumes of smuggled items and to apprehend coordinators and participants so that such operations become unprofitable and present no risk to commercial air travel."

European Tensions

These airspace violations occur during an era marked by growing anxiety in Europe following multiple unmanned aircraft violations that have caused air traffic disruption across the continent.

Parallel situations in nearby states have caused EU officials to accelerate discussions about strengthening air defences throughout European airspace.