Security concerns prompt Lithuania to review passenger traffic with Belarus

Lithuania is considering suspending regular passenger traffic with Belarus following Latvia’s recent decision to halt similar services with Russia and Belarus.

The move comes in response to potential security threats from Belarus, Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovič announced, Caliber.Az reports, citing Lithuanian media.

Kondratovič stressed that any such decision would require regional coordination and would be discussed with counterparts from Latvia and Poland in Brussels. He noted that while the measure could exert pressure on the “Belarusian regime,” it also carries the risk of escalating hostility toward the European Union. Currently, Lithuania maintains 24 regular routes with Belarus, averaging approximately 25 departures per day in each direction.

Meanwhile, Latvia’s Ministry of Transport is preparing a draft decree to suspend passenger routes to Belarus and Russia. The discussions over such measures have been prompted by security incidents, including the appearance of Belarusian meteorological balloons carrying contraband cigarettes, which forced Vilnius Airport to temporarily suspend operations.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, 599 incursions of smuggled balloons and 197 drones into Lithuanian airspace have been recorded this year. These attacks disrupted 320 flights, affected 47,000 passengers and led to the closure of airports for almost 60 hours.

In this regard, after Vilnius restricted the operation of border crossing points with Belarus for several weeks, Minsk refuses to release heavy vehicles registered in Lithuania. The Lithuanian leadership considers these actions a hybrid attack by the Belarusian authorities.

By Vafa Guliyeva