Lithuania plans to eliminate smuggling balloons, Prime Minister announces.

The Baltic nation plans to intercept and destroy helium balloons carrying cigarettes from neighbouring Belarus, the country's leader announced.

The measure comes after unauthorized aerial incursions disrupted air traffic multiple times over the past week, including at the weekend, accompanied by temporary closures of Belarus border crossings temporarily each time.

Border checkpoints will now be closed indefinitely due to the ongoing aerial incidents.

According to official declarations, "authorities will not hesitate to employ even the most severe actions during unauthorized aerial intrusions."

Official Measures

Outlining the strategy to media, officials stated defense units were executing "every required action" to eliminate aerial threats.

About the border closure, Ruginiene said diplomats will still be able to travel between the two countries, while European Union nationals and Lithuanian residents retain entry rights, 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 stop such attacks," she said.

Official communications saw no quick answer from Minsk officials.

International Consultation

The Baltic nation intends to coordinate with partners over the threat posed from the balloons while potentially considering invocation of the alliance's consultation mechanism - a request for consultation by a Nato member country regarding security matters, especially related to its security - the Prime Minister concluded.

Travel Impacts

Lithuanian airports were closed three times over the weekend because of aerial devices originating from neighboring territory, disrupting air transport and passenger movement, per transportation authority data.

Earlier this month, multiple aerial devices crossed into Lithuanian airspace, resulting in numerous canceled flights and passenger inconveniences, Lithuania's National Crisis Management Centre told the BBC.

These incidents continue previous patterns: as of 6 October, 544 balloons were recorded entering Lithuania across the frontier in recent months, an NCMC spokesman said, with nearly thousand incidents during previous year.

Regional Situation

International air travel hubs - covering northern and central European sites - experienced similar aerial disruptions, including drone sightings, over past months.