Lithuania to reopen border crossings with Russia-allied Belarus after tensions over balloons

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VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — The Lithuanian government decided Wednesday to reopen the country’s two border crossings with Belarus, weeks after they were closed following disruptions at the capital’s airport caused by balloons used to smuggle cigarettes across the frontier.

The government in Vilnius said in late October it would keep the crossings closed for a month, with some exemptions. Officials in Lithuania view the balloon disruption as a deliberate act by Russia-allied Belarus.

Lithuania’s Cabinet decided to reopen the crossings at Medininkai and Šalčininkai on Thursday. Neighboring Poland this week reopened two crossings with Belarus.

The decision is expected to ease the return of Lithuanian trucks that were stranded in Belarus. Authorities in Minsk refused to open a corridor exclusively to evacuate the trucks, demanding that Lithuania reopen the border fully. Delegations of the countries’ customs officials met on Tuesday for technical negotiations.

Last week, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said up to 1,200 vehicles were stranded in his country and threatened to seize them if Lithuania failed to reopen the border. He has denounced the border closure as a “mad scam” and part of a “hybrid war” against his country.

Lithuania is a NATO and European Union member on the Western military alliance’s eastern flank, and also borders Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave.

Lithuania warned that the border could be shut again if balloons and drones reappear.

“If the situation gets worse again, we reserve the right to close the borders at any time,” Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė said ahead of Wednesday’s decision, adding that it was being taken after several relatively quiet weeks without major airspace violations and flight disruptions.