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Authorities have decided to shoot down balloons used to smuggle cigarettes from neighbouring Belarus, government officials confirmed.

This action responds after foreign objects crossing the border disrupted air traffic on several occasions recently, with weekend disruptions, with the government also closing frontier checkpoints during these events.

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

Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene said, "our nation stands prepared to implement the strictest possible measures when our airspace is violated."

Government Response

Announcing the actions at a press conference, the Prime Minister confirmed military forces were implementing "every required action" to shoot down balloons.

About the border closure, 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.

"In this way, we are sending a signal to the neighboring nation declaring that unconventional threats won't be accepted across our nation, employing comprehensive defensive actions to prevent similar incidents," she said.

Official communications saw no quick answer from Minsk officials.

Alliance Coordination

The Baltic nation intends to coordinate with partners regarding the aerial device concerns while potentially considering invocation of Nato's Article 4 - a request for consultation by a Nato member country regarding security matters, especially related to its security - officials noted.

Flight Cancellations

National air facilities experienced triple closures during holiday periods from balloon incidents from Belarus, affecting 112 flights and more than 16,500 passengers, based on regional media reports.

Earlier this month, multiple aerial devices crossed into Lithuanian airspace, causing dozens of flight disruptions impacting thousands, Lithuania's National Crisis Management Centre told the BBC.

This situation represents ongoing challenges: by autumn measurements, numerous unauthorized objects tracked entering airspace from neighboring territory during current year, per government spokesperson comments, with nearly thousand incidents during previous year.

European Context

Other European airports - covering northern and central European sites - have also been affected by air incursions, including drone sightings, over past months.