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Lithuania will begin to eliminate helium balloons carrying cigarettes from neighbouring Belarus, government officials confirmed.

This action responds after unauthorized aerial incursions disrupted air traffic on several occasions recently, with weekend disruptions, with the government also closing cross-border movement during each incident.

International border access continues restricted due to the ongoing aerial incidents.

According to official declarations, "our nation stands prepared to implement even the most severe actions when our airspace is violated."

Government Response

Detailing the measures during a briefing, 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 between the two countries, while European Union nationals and Lithuanian residents retain entry rights, but no other movement will be allowed.

"Through these actions, we communicate to the neighboring nation stating that asymmetric operations face opposition within our territory, and we'll implement maximum countermeasures to stop such attacks," the Prime Minister emphasized.

There has been no immediate response from the neighboring government.

Diplomatic Measures

Lithuania plans to consult its allies over the threat posed from the balloons with possible discussions about implementing Nato's Article 4 - a request for consultation by a Nato member country regarding security matters, specifically concerning defense matters - the Prime Minister concluded.

Airport Disruptions

Aviation hubs faced multiple shutdowns over the weekend because of aerial devices from Belarus, disrupting air transport and passenger movement, based on regional media reports.

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

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

European Context

Additional aviation facilities - including in Copenhagen and Munich - have also been affected by air incursions, involving unmanned aerial vehicles, over past months.