Lithuania says it will shoot down Belarus smuggler balloons disrupting air traffic

Lithuania’s Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene said on Monday her country will begin to shoot down smuggler balloons crossing the border from Belarus, which have repeatedly interrupted the Baltic nation’s air traffic.

Lithuania has said balloons are sent by smugglers transporting contraband cigarettes from Belarus into the EU, but it also blames Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, for not stopping the practice.

Read more: Reuters