EU moves to roll out new sanctions against Belarus' Lukashenko regime
Photo: Alexander Lukashenko (Getty Images)
Today, Wednesday, December 10, European Union ambassadors agreed to extend sanctions against Belarus over the incursion of balloons carrying contraband into Lithuania, Radio Liberty correspondent Rikard Jozwiak reports.
"EU ambassadors just agreed to expand Belarus sanctions to target the balloon Lithuania incursions. will be formalized by foreign ministers next week," the report says.
According to Lithuanian officials, a total of 315 balloons have entered Lithuania from Belarus since June, with the peak observed in October, 71 airspace violations.
Belarus' provocations against Lithuania
Yesterday, the Lithuanian government declared a state of emergency throughout the country due to the crisis caused by smuggling balloons flying in from Belarus.
Back in October, Vilnius International Airport was forced to close several times due to balloons launched from Belarusian territory. This affected about 3,500 passengers and 25 flights: four were canceled, and seven were redirected.
In November, the provocations continued — the airport had to be temporarily suspended again due to the appearance of unknown drones near the airport.
On the night of November 24, there was another massive launch of balloons from Belarus into Lithuanian airspace.
In response, the European Union announced that it was preparing sanctions against Belarus for these provocations.
