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Authorities have decided to intercept and destroy balloons used to smuggle cigarettes from neighbouring Belarus, government officials confirmed.

This decision follows after balloons entering Lithuanian airspace forced Vilnius Airport to close on several occasions recently, including at the weekend, accompanied by temporary closures of Belarus border crossings temporarily each time.

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

Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene said, "authorities will not hesitate to employ maximum response protocols during unauthorized aerial intrusions."

National Security Actions

Announcing the actions at a press conference, officials stated defense units were executing "every required action" to shoot down balloons.

Concerning border measures, Ruginiene said diplomats will still be able to travel for cross-border diplomatic missions, while European Union nationals and Lithuanian residents retain entry rights, but no other movement will be allowed.

"This represents our clear message to the neighboring nation stating that asymmetric operations face opposition here, and we will take all the strictest measures to stop such attacks," she said.

Official communications saw no quick answer from Belarus.

Diplomatic Measures

The Baltic nation intends to coordinate with partners about the security challenges presented while potentially considering invocation of the alliance's consultation mechanism - a provision enabling alliance discussion on any issue of concern, specifically concerning defense matters - the Prime Minister concluded.

Airport Disruptions

Aviation hubs faced multiple shutdowns over the weekend because of aerial devices crossing the international border, disrupting air transport and passenger movement, per transportation authority data.

During the current month, multiple aerial devices crossed into Lithuanian airspace, causing dozens of flight disruptions impacting thousands, Lithuania's National Crisis Management Centre told the BBC.

These incidents continue previous patterns: by autumn measurements, numerous unauthorized objects tracked entering airspace across the frontier in recent months, per government spokesperson comments, compared to higher numbers in prior period.

European Context

Other European airports - covering northern and central European sites - faced comparable aviation security challenges, including drone sightings, over past months.