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Lithuania will begin to eliminate balloons used to smuggle cigarettes from neighbouring Belarus, government officials confirmed.

This decision follows after unauthorized aerial incursions necessitated airport closures multiple times over the past week, including at the weekend, while authorities suspended cross-border movement during each incident.

Border checkpoints will now be closed indefinitely due to the ongoing aerial incidents.

The government leader stated, "we are ready to take maximum response protocols during unauthorized aerial intrusions."

Government Response

Detailing the measures during a briefing, the Prime Minister confirmed military forces were implementing "every required action" to intercept unauthorized devices.

Regarding frontier restrictions, the Prime Minister confirmed diplomatic movement continues 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 halt these operations," government officials declared.

Authorities received no prompt reaction from Belarus.

Diplomatic Measures

The Baltic nation intends to coordinate with partners regarding the aerial device concerns and may discuss activating Nato's Article 4 - a provision enabling alliance discussion on any issue of concern, particularly involving territorial protection - she added.

Airport Disruptions

National air facilities experienced triple closures at the weekend due to weather balloons from Belarus, disrupting air transport and passenger movement, based on regional media reports.

In recent weeks, 25 balloons entered Lithuania from Belarus, causing dozens of flight disruptions impacting thousands, Lithuania's National Crisis Management Centre told the BBC.

The phenomenon is not new: as of 6 October, 544 balloons were recorded entering Lithuania across the frontier in recent months, according to official statements, compared to higher numbers in prior period.

Regional Situation

Additional aviation facilities - covering northern and central European sites - faced comparable aviation security challenges, involving unmanned aerial vehicles, over past months.