🔗 Share this article

Lithuania will begin to intercept and destroy helium balloons carrying cigarettes from neighbouring Belarus, the country's leader announced.

This action responds after unauthorized aerial incursions forced Vilnius Airport to close multiple times over the past week, including at the weekend, with the government also closing cross-border movement during each incident.

International border access continues restricted following repeated balloon incursions.

The government leader stated, "our nation stands prepared to implement maximum response protocols during unauthorized aerial intrusions."

Government Response

Detailing the measures during a briefing, officials stated defense units were executing "all necessary measures" to shoot down balloons.

About the border closure, the Prime Minister confirmed diplomatic movement continues for cross-border diplomatic missions, with special provisions for EU and Lithuanian nationals, 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 prevent similar incidents," she said.

Authorities received no prompt reaction from the neighboring government.

International Consultation

The Baltic nation intends to coordinate with partners about the security challenges presented while potentially considering invocation of the NATO consultation clause - a request for consultation by a Nato member country on any issue of concern, particularly involving territorial protection - she added.

Airport Disruptions

Aviation hubs faced multiple shutdowns at the weekend due to weather balloons from Belarus, disrupting air transport and passenger movement, based on regional media reports.

In recent weeks, 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: by autumn measurements, hundreds of aerial devices documented crossing borders from Belarus this year, an NCMC spokesman said, compared to higher numbers in prior period.

European Context

Additional aviation facilities - such as Scandinavian and German locations - experienced similar aerial disruptions, involving unmanned aerial vehicles, over past months.