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Authorities have decided to eliminate balloons used to smuggle cigarettes from neighbouring Belarus, the country's leader announced.

This decision follows after foreign objects crossing the border necessitated airport closures on several occasions recently, including at the weekend, with the government also closing frontier checkpoints during these events.

Frontier crossing points remain suspended indefinitely following repeated balloon incursions.

According to official declarations, "authorities will not hesitate to employ 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 "all necessary measures" to eliminate aerial threats.

Concerning border measures, officials noted embassy personnel maintain access across the international border, while European Union nationals and Lithuanian residents retain entry rights, though all other travel remains prohibited.

"This represents our clear message to the neighboring nation declaring that unconventional threats won't be accepted across our nation, employing comprehensive defensive actions to halt these operations," she said.

Official communications saw no quick answer from the neighboring government.

Alliance Coordination

Lithuania plans to consult its allies regarding the aerial device concerns while potentially considering invocation of Nato's Article 4 - a provision enabling alliance discussion about national security issues, particularly involving territorial protection - the Prime Minister concluded.

Airport Disruptions

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

Earlier this month, several unauthorized objects traversed the border, resulting in numerous canceled flights and passenger inconveniences, according to emergency management officials.

This situation represents ongoing challenges: by autumn measurements, hundreds of aerial devices documented crossing borders from neighboring territory during current year, an NCMC spokesman said, with nearly thousand incidents during previous year.

International Perspective

International air travel hubs - including in Copenhagen and Munich - have also been affected by air incursions, including drone sightings, over past months.