On Wednesday, Lithuania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Vilnius has lodged a protest with Belarus over violations of its airspace.

The temporary chargé d’affaires of Belarus was summoned to the ministry and presented with a note of protest concerning repeated airspace breaches.

Specifically, radar equipment detected an unauthorized entry into Lithuanian airspace from Belarus on the evening of October 21, involving a group of meteorological balloons.

“The incident poses a threat to civil aviation and public safety, and the disruption of normal operations at Vilnius airport has also caused financial damage,” the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry said.

The ministry emphasized that the breach of national borders is a serious violation of international law. Belarus was urged to ensure proper control over its airspace, reminded of previous violations of Lithuanian airspace, and called upon to conduct an investigation to prevent future incidents.

Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry also warned that the country reserves the right to take retaliatory measures if further illegal airspace violations occur.