By Jonas Deveikis, LRT.lt.

Flights at Vilnius Airport were affected 15 times between October 4 and December 7 amid an influx of smuggling balloons that the Lithuanian officials are calling a hybrid attack by Belarus. Kaunas Airport was also closed once due to threats to aviation safety.

In all, over 350 flights and some 51,000 passengers were affected by these airspace restrictions. Lithuanian Airports and their partners say they suffered losses of over 750,000 euros.

Although officials refer to the contraband balloon threat as a hybrid attack, smugglers have been using balloons for several years. Border guards previously reported finding three contraband balloons in 2023, 226 in 2024, and 623 this year as of December 8.

However, their scale – and disruption – became increasingly noticeable in late 2025, with officials saying they were now being launched deliberately toward Vilnius Airport.

Here’s the chronology of events surrounding the smuggling balloons.

Read more: LRT.LT