🔗 Share this article

The Baltic nation plans to shoot down aerial devices transporting cigarettes from neighbouring Belarus, its prime minister has warned.

This action responds after balloons entering Lithuanian airspace forced Vilnius Airport to close repeatedly in recent days, with weekend disruptions, accompanied by temporary closures of cross-border movement during each incident.

Frontier crossing points remain suspended indefinitely in response to the helium weather balloons.

According to official declarations, "our nation stands prepared to implement maximum response protocols when our airspace is violated."

National Security Actions

Outlining the strategy to media, the Prime Minister confirmed military forces were implementing "complete operational protocols" to intercept unauthorized devices.

About the border closure, the Prime Minister confirmed diplomatic movement continues for cross-border diplomatic missions, with special provisions for EU and Lithuanian nationals, though all other travel remains prohibited.

"This represents our clear message to Belarus and saying that no hybrid attack will be tolerated across our nation, employing comprehensive defensive actions to prevent similar incidents," she said.

There has been no immediate response from Minsk officials.

Alliance Coordination

Lithuania plans to consult its allies about the security challenges presented with possible discussions about implementing Nato's Article 4 - a provision enabling alliance discussion regarding security matters, particularly involving territorial protection - the Prime Minister concluded.

Flight Cancellations

National air facilities experienced triple closures at the weekend due to weather balloons from Belarus, disrupting air transport and passenger movement, per transportation authority data.

Earlier this month, 25 balloons entered Lithuania from Belarus, resulting in numerous canceled flights and passenger inconveniences, per national security agency reports.

The phenomenon is not new: by autumn measurements, numerous unauthorized objects tracked entering airspace across the frontier in recent months, per government spokesperson comments, with nearly thousand incidents during previous year.

International Perspective

International air travel hubs - covering northern and central European sites - faced comparable aviation security challenges, with unauthorized drone observations, during current period.