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Lithuanian president: Contraband balloons pose threat to civil aviation

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda declared on Monday that weather balloons which are carrying smuggled goods pose a threat to civil aviation.  There has recently been an increase in the number of such objects entering Lithuanian airspace from Belarus.

A weather balloon with smuggled cigarettes which was suspected of originating in Belarus crashed within the territory of Vilnius Airport late on Saturday.

“The problem here is not just contraband or perhaps even more dangerous cargo that could be placed there,” President Nauseda said in an interview with the public broadcaster.  “The problem is also our civil aviation, because the wind can blow such objects into flight zones.  I don’t even want to speculate about what would happen if an aircraft were to collide with such an object.”

Lithuanian border guards says that they could theoretically shoot down such balloons, provided that they are closer to the ground, but they have no authority to do so.  Balloons at higher altitudes, for their part, are out of reach, and border guards lack the equipment that is needed to monitor them and shoot them down.

Lithuanian Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite is promising legislative amendments to authorise border guards to shoot down ballons which illegally cross into Lithuanian airspace with contraband on board.

Lithuania’s Armed Forces can detect such objects and says that they are monitoring them.  No further comment was given about tracking the objects because of the sensitivity of the relevant radar data.

The military also emphasises the fact that shooting down such balloons during peacetime would be seen as an extreme measure.

President Nauseda also called for better communications among the relevant institutions.

“Some don’t see them, some don’t have weapons, others have weapons, but don’t see them – that seems less than serious, and it’s not something to discuss publicly right now,” the president told Lithuanian Radio and TV.

“They can handle the issue far more simply and then just announce what they’ve decided and how they’re going to deal with the matter,” Mr Nauseda added.

The Lithuanian Border Guard says that it recorded 250 ballons with potential contraband in September, up from 117 in August.  The agency says that favourable weather conditions have been a factor in the increase.

Source: BNS

(Reproduction of BNS information in mass media and other websites without written consent of BNS is prohibited.)

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