Entry to Lithuania nonetheless allowed for sure travellers, together with EU residents and humanitarian visa-holders.
Revealed On 29 Oct 2025
Lithuania is tightening its border with Belarus for a month after waves of balloons carrying contraband cigarettes entered its airspace.
Lithuania’s cupboard determined Wednesday to proceed halting visitors on the Salcininkai crossing within the southeast till the top of November, whereas closely limiting passage at its solely different crossing, Medininkai, close to the capital Vilnius, in response to the BNS information company.
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Inside Minister Vladislav Kondratovic mentioned the measures would “ship a transparent message to our not-so-friendly neighbour” over the balloon incursions, which disrupted air visitors at Vilnius airport over the weekend and prompted it to first shut the 2 crossings.
Diplomats, Lithuanian residents, nationals of the European Union and NATO member states and their relations, in addition to foreigners with legitimate Lithuanian permits, will nonetheless be allowed to enter Lithuania via Medininkai, BNS reported. The exemption additionally applies to holders of humanitarian visas.
Passenger trains between Belarus and Kaliningrad, the Russian exclave wedged between Poland and Lithuania, is not going to be affected. Russians holding a transit doc permitting journey to Kaliningrad may also nonetheless cross at Medininkai, in response to Lithuanian officers.
Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene mentioned the restrictions might be prolonged. “We can not fail to reply to a hybrid assault in opposition to Lithuania,” she instructed reporters.
The measure will primarily have an effect on hundreds of Belarusian employees who often journey between the 2 nations, however Lithuanian companies that proceed to work with Minsk may also be impacted, Ruginiene mentioned.
‘Mad rip-off’
Belarus condemned Lithuania’s preliminary border closure after final week’s balloon incident and referred to as on its neighbour to first search for accomplices inside its personal borders.
“Lithuanian politicians have determined to use the state of affairs and place all of the blame on Belarus, thus overlaying up their very own lack of ability (or unwillingness?) to search out the smugglers’ contractors” inside Lithuania, mentioned a press release by the Belarusian Ministry of International Affairs.
“If air balloons loaded with cigarettes are flying there, I assume they should remedy the problem on their finish,” added Belarus’s President Alexander Lukashenko, noting that his nation would apologise if its involvement is established.
Lithuania, a NATO and EU member on the Western alliance’s japanese flank, views the balloon disruption as a deliberate act of sabotage by Russia-allied Belarus.
Its concern is heightened by repeated drone intrusions into NATO’s airspace, which reached an unprecedented scale final month. Some European officers described the incidents as Moscow testing NATO’s response, which raised questions on how ready the alliance is in opposition to Russia.
In Belgium, Defence Minister Theo Francken mentioned an investigation was beneath method after “a number of drones had been noticed once more” in a single day Tuesday into Wednesday above a army base in Marche-en-Famenne within the east of the nation.
