Lithuania is reopening two border crossings with Belarus that were temporarily closed due to smuggler weather balloon flights. The government's decision comes after a reduction in airspace incidents, which previously led to the closure of Vilnius Airport.
Poland is preparing a response to the railway explosion, which it considers an act of state terrorism. Foreign Minister Sikorski stated that a response would be provided in the coming days.
Poland opened border crossings with Belarus in Kuźnica and Bobrowniki on November 17. The Kuźnica checkpoint had been closed for four years due to the migration crisis, and Bobrowniki for almost three years in response to the verdict against Andrzej Poczobut.
On November 17, Poland will reopen two border crossings with Belarus: Bobrowniki-Berestovitsa and Kuźnica Białostocka-Bruzgi. This decision will support residents and businesses, particularly carriers, by allowing passenger traffic and limited truck movement.
Ukrainian sports institutions have called on World Aquatics to reconsider the admission of Russian and Belarusian athletes to team competitions starting in 2026. The Ministry of Youth and Sports, the NOC of Ukraine, and the Swimming Federation emphasized that this contradicts the IOC's 2023 recommendations.
Latvia and Estonia are ready to show solidarity with Vilnius over Belarusian contraband balloons, said Lithuanian Prime Minister Ruginiene. Poland has already joined Lithuania, refusing to open its borders with Belarus.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys rejected Alyaksandr Lukashenka's proposal for talks on border restoration. He emphasized that Lukashenka does not set the rules, and Lithuania will not follow the path that they are trying to impose on it.
Lithuanian border guards stopped eight balloons and a homemade drone launched from Belarus. The weather balloons were carrying over 13,000 packs of illegal cigarettes, and the drone was also likely carrying contraband.
The Polish prosecutor's office is investigating attempts by the Belarusian KGB to recruit at least 10 employees of the National Anti-Crisis Management (NZA) in Poland. 15 recruitment attempts have been recorded, offering money and threatening relatives, punishable by 5 to 30 years in prison.
US President Donald Trump has nominated John Cole, deputy special representative for Ukraine Keith Kellogg, as envoy for Belarus. Lawyer Cole, who has already secured the release of 100 hostages, aims to free 50 more.
Tens of thousands of people in Lisbon protested against new labor laws, which unions believe will undermine workers' rights. Protesters are also demanding higher wages.
The Portuguese Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) has ruled that Belarusian citizens who were under temporary protection in the country after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine must leave Portuguese territory. They have 20 days to voluntarily depart, otherwise they may be deported.
Lithuanian Finance Minister Kristupas Vaitekūnas called for strengthening sanctions against Russia, especially regarding the energy and financial sectors. He also emphasized the need to strengthen sanctions against Belarus due to hybrid attacks.
Lukashenka will pay for allowing the attack on Ukraine from his territory, because the beginning of the full-scale war "came" from the territory of Belarus, Zelenskyy emphasized.
33-year-old Belarusian citizen Yana Leonova was extradited from France to the United States. She is accused of conspiring to violate the Export Control Reform Act, smuggling and money laundering, and defrauding the United States.
The Kremlin has created a network of agents for hybrid warfare against Europe, involving marginalized individuals, often Russian-speaking men with criminal records. This was revealed by GLOBSEC and ICCT experts in a joint report presented to the European Parliament.
President Zelenskyy held a conversation with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda, discussing energy aid and the security situation. Lithuania offered support regarding gas, which is critically important ahead of winter.
Vilnius Airport was temporarily closed due to an unknown drone, which turned out to be a civilian drone. The airspace was reopened at 10:18 local time.
The American OFAC office has lifted some sanctions from the Belarusian airline.
Belarusian peacekeepers are ready to participate in a potential mission in Ukraine, a representative of the Belarusian armed forces said. However, there are no official invitations or discussions within the UN regarding this, and Kyiv does not consider Minsk a neutral party in the war.
In October 2025, Lithuania recorded 275 attempts of illegal border crossing from Belarus, almost half of which occurred in the last five days of the month. This is a record for the last six months, which happened after the closure of checkpoints due to drone cigarette smuggling.
The former People's Deputy of the IX convocation is accused of collaboration and large-scale fraud, which entails life imprisonment. He enriched himself by UAH 14.5 million using a scheme for supplying fertilizers and spreading pro-Russian narratives.
Lithuania and Russia are negotiating the extension of the gas transit agreement to the Kaliningrad region, which expires in December 2025. Lithuania receives approximately 12 million euros in revenue annually for gas transit.
In Zhytomyr region, the circumstances of two explosions of ZIL and UAZ cars in the border zone with Belarus are being investigated. As a result of the incidents, five people aged 19 to 65 died, and three more were injured.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia's shadow fleet numbers more than 1,500 vessels, of which 340 are key, and 65 require immediate sanctions. Canada, Britain, Australia, Japan, and the EU are helping with this by reducing imports from the Russian Federation.
Lithuanian authorities temporarily closed the airspace over Vilnius due to balloons from Belarus, which was the sixth such incident in October. This led to two flights being turned back and increased control at the border with Belarus.
New Zealand imposes sanctions on 65 more shadow fleet vessels and entities from Belarus, Iran, and North Korea.
Ukraine supported Lithuania over Belarusian provocations and airspace incursions, which caused disruptions to civil aviation. Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha called Lukashenka's actions hybrid attacks by the Russian Federation against Europe.
Lithuania is temporarily closing two border crossings with Belarus, Medininkai and Šalčininkai, for a month, starting on Wednesday. Exceptions will apply to diplomats, EU citizens, and other categories, while Šalčininkai will be completely closed and Medininkai partially open.
The European Union has condemned Belarus for provocative actions after balloons carrying smuggled cigarettes forced Lithuania to close airports. The EU warned of possible further sanctions but refrained from directly accusing the Lukashenka regime due to Hungary's objections.
