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The Baltic nation plans to shoot down balloons used to smuggle cigarettes from neighbouring Belarus, the country's leader announced.

This action responds after balloons entering Lithuanian airspace forced Vilnius Airport to close multiple times over the past week, affecting holiday travel, accompanied by temporary closures of Belarus border crossings temporarily each time.

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 against airspace violations."

National Security Actions

Outlining the strategy to media, officials stated defense units were executing "every required action" to shoot down balloons.

About the border closure, Ruginiene said diplomats will still be able to travel across the international border, with special provisions for EU and Lithuanian nationals, though all other travel remains prohibited.

"This represents our clear message to the neighboring nation stating that asymmetric operations face opposition here, and we will take all the strictest measures to halt these operations," she said.

Authorities received no prompt reaction from the neighboring government.

Diplomatic Measures

Lithuania plans to consult its allies over the threat posed from the balloons with possible discussions about implementing the NATO consultation clause - a protocol allowing member state consultation regarding security matters, particularly involving territorial protection - officials noted.

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.

In recent weeks, several unauthorized objects traversed the border, causing dozens of flight disruptions impacting thousands, Lithuania's National Crisis Management Centre told the BBC.

The phenomenon is not new: by autumn measurements, hundreds of aerial devices documented crossing borders from Belarus this year, per government spokesperson comments, compared to higher numbers in prior period.

European Context

International air travel hubs - including in Copenhagen and Munich - faced comparable aviation security challenges, including drone sightings, over past months.