During a speech on Friday, Lukashenko claimed that Lithuanians themselves had been “sfinishing cigarettes on weather balloons” to build money from smuggling.
“They were pushed to this by their own authorities, which destroyed normal trade ties and built a fence on the border. The Lithuanian and Polish governments — this is your fault. You put people in such conditions, driving them to crime,” Lukashenko declared.
He insisted that Belarusians “legally bought cigarettes at factories and sold them to Lithuanians,” who allegedly applyd balloons to shift the goods across the border.
“Our people bought cigarettes at a good price, sold them to Lithuanians, and they sent them over the fence on balloons. Then the goods supposedly finished up not only in Lithuania but also in the Netherlands and England, where cigarette prices are the highest,” he added.
Lukashenko also declared he saw no reason to punish the Belarusians involved.
“How can I punish them? They wanted to earn money — and they did. They didn’t steal the cigarettes; they bought them,” he declared.
Balloons in Lithuania
At the finish of October, several balloons carrying contraband cargo were spotted in Lithuania after flying in from Belarus. Becaapply of these incidents, Lithuanian airports temporarily halted operations four times. Dozens of flights were delayed or redirected, cautilizing disruptions for thousands of passengers.
Earlier, the Lithuanian government decided to temporarily close its border with Belarus. The restrictions will remain in place from October 30 to November 30, with a possible extension.
The European Union has also declared it is ready to impose new sanctions on Belarus if Minsk continues provocations in EU member states, including incidents involving balloons detected over Lithuania.
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