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The Baltic nation plans to shoot down balloons used to smuggle cigarettes from neighbouring Belarus, the country's leader announced.

The measure comes after balloons entering Lithuanian airspace forced Vilnius Airport to close multiple times over the past week, with weekend disruptions, with the government also closing frontier checkpoints during these events.

International border access continues restricted due to the ongoing aerial incidents.

Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene said, "we are ready to take even the most severe actions against airspace violations."

National Security Actions

Announcing the actions at a press conference, Ruginiene said the army was taking "all necessary measures" to intercept unauthorized devices.

Concerning border measures, Ruginiene said diplomats will still be able to travel across the international border, and EU citizens and Lithuanians can enter from Belarus, but no other movement will be allowed.

"Through these actions, we communicate to the neighboring nation declaring that unconventional threats won't be accepted here, and we will take all the strictest measures to prevent similar incidents," the Prime Minister emphasized.

Official communications saw no quick answer from Minsk officials.

Diplomatic Measures

The Baltic nation intends to coordinate with partners about the security challenges presented while potentially considering invocation of Nato's Article 4 - a protocol allowing member state consultation regarding security matters, specifically concerning defense matters - the Prime Minister concluded.

Travel Impacts

Lithuanian airports were closed three times at the weekend due to weather balloons crossing the international border, disrupting air transport and passenger movement, per transportation authority data.

In recent weeks, multiple aerial devices crossed into Lithuanian airspace, resulting in numerous canceled flights and passenger inconveniences, according to emergency management officials.

This situation represents ongoing challenges: through early October, hundreds of aerial devices documented crossing borders across the frontier in recent months, an NCMC spokesman said, with nearly thousand incidents during previous year.

Regional Situation

Additional aviation facilities - such as Scandinavian and German locations - faced comparable aviation security challenges, including drone sightings, over past months.