Lukashenko revealed a scheme for smuggling cigarettes from Belarus to Lithuania

The weather balloons spotted in Lithuanian airspace were launched by Lithuanians themselves from the territory of Belarus. This was announced by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on October 31.

"The Lithuanian and Polish authorities are to blame for this happening. Why did you put people in such conditions? Why did you push them onto the path of crime," BelTA quoted him as saying.

According to the president, the Lithuanians who arrived in Belarus bought cigarettes from Belarusians, who, in turn, bought them locally. Lithuanian citizens transported the purchased goods to the country using weather balloons, from where they were transported for resale to the Netherlands and England.

At the same time, Lukashenko noted that Lithuania decided to make money on the resale of cigarettes and against the background of the closure of the border, thereby interrupting trade relations between the countries.

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Earlier, on October 15, it was reported that Vilnius airport in Lithuania was closed due to the presence in its airspace of dozens of balloons intended for cigarette smuggling. It was clarified that at the time of the incident, eight incoming flights had been diverted to various airports in the country.

Subsequently, there were reports of the closure of the state border with Belarus for an indefinite period in response to incidents with balloons allegedly arriving from Belarusian territory. Thus, according to the Lithuanian authorities, freight transport will not be able to cross the border.

On October 29, Lithuania completely closed the border with Belarus for a month. We are talking about the Myadininkai and Shalchininkai checkpoints. It was noted that exceptions will be introduced at the Myadininkai checkpoint, in particular for diplomats, as well as for citizens of Lithuania and the EU. In addition, in exceptional cases, other persons will be able to cross the border through the mediation of the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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