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The Baltic nation plans to shoot down helium balloons carrying cigarettes from neighbouring Belarus, government officials confirmed.

This decision follows after balloons entering Lithuanian airspace disrupted air traffic multiple times over the past week, affecting holiday travel, accompanied by temporary closures of cross-border movement during each incident.

Frontier crossing points remain suspended indefinitely due to the ongoing aerial incidents.

The government leader stated, "our nation stands prepared to implement maximum response protocols during unauthorized aerial intrusions."

National Security Actions

Outlining the strategy to media, Ruginiene said the army was taking "every required action" to shoot down balloons.

Regarding frontier restrictions, the Prime Minister confirmed diplomatic movement continues across the international border, and EU citizens and Lithuanians can enter from Belarus, however general movement continues suspended.

"Through these actions, we communicate to Belarus declaring that unconventional threats won't be accepted across our nation, employing comprehensive defensive actions to halt these operations," government officials declared.

Authorities received no prompt reaction from Minsk officials.

International Consultation

The Baltic nation intends to coordinate with partners over the threat posed from the balloons with possible discussions about implementing Nato's Article 4 - a protocol allowing member state consultation regarding security matters, particularly involving territorial protection - the Prime Minister concluded.

Travel Impacts

National air facilities experienced triple closures at the weekend due to weather balloons originating from neighboring territory, affecting 112 flights and more than 16,500 passengers, according to Baltic News Service.

Earlier this 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: as of 6 October, 544 balloons were recorded entering Lithuania across the frontier in recent months, per government spokesperson comments, compared to higher numbers in prior period.

International Perspective

International air travel hubs - such as Scandinavian and German locations - have also been affected by air incursions, including drone sightings, in recent weeks.