Lithuania has closed its largest airport and land border crossings with Belarus following the latest incident involving balloons launched from Belarusian territory.

This comes after airspace violations involving balloons carrying contraband cigarettes which had previously forced the closure of airspace earlier in the month.

Newsweek has contacted the Belarusian and Lithuanian foreign ministries for comment.

Why It Matters

Lithuania shares a 420-mile border with Belarus, whose ruler, Alexander Lukashenko, is Vladimir Putin’s closest ally. Although the balloon incident has not been directly linked to Moscow, Lithuania's border closures add to tensions spiked by accusations of Russian incursions into NATO airspace amid Moscow’s aggression in Ukraine.

What To Know

Lithuania’s prime mini

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