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Authorities have decided to intercept and destroy balloons used to smuggle cigarettes from neighbouring Belarus, government officials confirmed.

This decision follows after balloons entering Lithuanian airspace disrupted air traffic on several occasions recently, affecting holiday travel, accompanied by temporary closures of frontier checkpoints during these events.

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

Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene said, "authorities will not hesitate to employ even the most severe actions during unauthorized aerial intrusions."

Government Response

Announcing the actions at a press conference, the Prime Minister confirmed military forces were implementing "all necessary measures" to shoot down balloons.

Concerning border measures, Ruginiene said diplomats will still be able to travel for cross-border diplomatic missions, and EU citizens and Lithuanians can enter from Belarus, though all other travel remains prohibited.

"Through these actions, we communicate to Belarus stating that asymmetric operations face opposition within our territory, and we'll implement maximum countermeasures to prevent similar incidents," the Prime Minister emphasized.

Official communications saw no quick answer from Belarus.

Alliance Coordination

The Baltic nation intends to coordinate with partners about the security challenges presented while potentially considering invocation of Nato's Article 4 - a provision enabling alliance discussion about national security issues, particularly involving territorial protection - officials noted.

Flight Cancellations

Lithuanian airports were closed three times at the weekend due to weather balloons originating from neighboring territory, disrupting air transport and passenger movement, based on regional media reports.

In recent weeks, multiple aerial devices crossed into Lithuanian airspace, causing dozens of flight disruptions impacting thousands, according to emergency management officials.

The phenomenon is not new: through early October, 544 balloons were recorded entering Lithuania from Belarus this year, per government spokesperson comments, compared to higher numbers in prior period.

International Perspective

Additional aviation facilities - such as Scandinavian and German locations - experienced similar aerial disruptions, including drone sightings, in recent weeks.