Lithuania Shuts Border, Blames KGB for Smuggling

By Abida Kahlun
Bureau Chief Helsinki
Scandinavian News Agency

Finland

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda has condemned recent balloon launches carrying

smuggled cigarettes from Belarus, calling them all qq “a deliberate act aimed at destabilizing Lithuania.”

He asserted that such large-scale operations could not happen without the knowledge of Belarusian authorities.

“The involvement of state structures, the KGB, in both legal and illegal cigarette trade is

evident, generating huge profits from each smuggled pack,” Nausėda said.

In response, Lithuania has announced an indefinite closure of its border with Belarus.

Over the past week, helium balloons carrying contraband have repeatedly disrupted operations at Vilnius Airport.

Officials in Vilnius describe the incidents as a form of hybrid warfare, holding Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko responsible.

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