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Lithuania suspends air traffic in Vilnius after alert over “suspicious balloons”
Air traffic at Vilnius Airport, the Lithuanian capital, was temporarily suspended overnight from Saturday to Sunday following an alert about several “suspicious balloons” detected in the airspace. The airport announced the closure on Facebook, stating it would remain shut until 04:30 local time (01:30 GMT) after being notified by the national air traffic agency Oro Navigacija around 22:16 (19:16 GMT).
Several flights bound for Vilnius were diverted to Kaunas, as well as to Latvia and Poland, while one flight to Helsinkiwas canceled. The Lithuanian authorities are investigating the incident.
This is the latest in a series of similar episodes across Europe, where unexplained aerial objects — including balloons and drones — have raised concerns among EU member states. Many European governments suspect Russia of being behind the recent overflights of sensitive sites, particularly after the incursion of at least 19 drones into Polish airspacein early September.