MOSCOW, Dec 1 (Reuters) – Belarus on Monday accused Lithuania of using a drone to spy on it and drop “extremist material,” a charge that Vilnius rejected as false.

The row comes amid strained tensions between the two countries after Vilnius airport said on Sunday it was forced to halt flights due to suspected balloons in Lithuanian airspace, the latest in a series of flight disruptions in the Baltic nation.

Lithuania has said weather balloons flown by smugglers are transporting contraband cigarettes, and blames Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko for allowing the practice.

The Belarusian Interior Ministry accused Lithuania of being behind the purported drone incident.

“Yesterday, a UAV (drone) of unknown origin was found on one of the streets of Grodno,” it said, referring to a city

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