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The Baltic nation plans to eliminate balloons used to smuggle cigarettes from neighbouring Belarus, government officials confirmed.

This action responds after foreign objects crossing the border necessitated airport closures multiple times over the past week, affecting holiday travel, while authorities suspended cross-border movement during each incident.

International border access continues restricted in response to the helium weather balloons.

According to official declarations, "our nation stands prepared to implement even the most severe actions when our airspace is violated."

Government Response

Announcing the actions at a press conference, officials stated defense units were executing "every required action" to eliminate aerial threats.

About the border closure, officials noted embassy personnel maintain access for cross-border diplomatic missions, with special provisions for EU and Lithuanian nationals, though all other travel remains prohibited.

"In this way, we are sending a signal to Belarus declaring that unconventional threats won't be accepted here, and we will take all the strictest measures to stop such attacks," government officials declared.

Authorities received no prompt reaction from Minsk officials.

Diplomatic Measures

The Baltic nation intends to coordinate with partners over the threat posed from the balloons and may discuss activating the alliance's consultation mechanism - a provision enabling alliance discussion on any issue of concern, particularly involving territorial protection - officials noted.

Flight Cancellations

Aviation hubs faced multiple shutdowns at the weekend due to weather balloons from Belarus, disrupting air transport and passenger movement, according to Baltic News Service.

In recent weeks, several unauthorized objects traversed the border, resulting in numerous canceled flights and passenger inconveniences, per national security agency reports.

The phenomenon is not new: through early October, 544 balloons were recorded entering Lithuania from neighboring territory during current year, an NCMC spokesman said, while 966 were recorded last year.

European Context

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