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Lithuania will begin to shoot down balloons used to smuggle contraband tobacco across the border, government officials confirmed.

The measure comes after unauthorized aerial incursions disrupted air traffic multiple times over the past week, affecting holiday travel, with the government also closing Belarus border crossings temporarily each time.

Border checkpoints will now be closed indefinitely following repeated balloon incursions.

The government leader stated, "our nation stands prepared to implement even the most severe actions when our airspace is violated."

Official Measures

Detailing the measures during a briefing, Ruginiene said the army was taking "all necessary measures" to intercept unauthorized devices.

About the border closure, officials noted embassy personnel maintain access across the international border, with special provisions for EU and Lithuanian nationals, but no other movement will be allowed.

"This represents our clear message to the neighboring nation and saying that no hybrid attack will be tolerated across our nation, employing comprehensive defensive actions to halt these operations," the Prime Minister emphasized.

There has been no immediate response from the neighboring government.

Diplomatic Measures

Lithuania plans to consult its allies over the threat posed from the balloons with possible discussions about implementing Nato's Article 4 - a provision enabling alliance discussion on any issue of concern, especially related to its security - officials noted.

Airport Disruptions

National air facilities experienced triple closures during holiday periods from balloon incidents crossing the international border, disrupting air transport and passenger movement, per transportation authority data.

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

These incidents continue previous patterns: through early October, numerous unauthorized objects tracked entering airspace from Belarus this year, an NCMC spokesman said, compared to higher numbers in prior period.

European Context

Additional aviation facilities - such as Scandinavian and German locations - faced comparable aviation security challenges, with unauthorized drone observations, in recent weeks.