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

This action responds after balloons entering Lithuanian airspace disrupted air traffic on several occasions recently, with weekend disruptions, while authorities suspended cross-border movement during each incident.

Frontier crossing points remain suspended indefinitely following repeated balloon incursions.

Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene said, "authorities will not hesitate to employ the strictest possible measures against airspace violations."

National Security Actions

Outlining the strategy to media, the Prime Minister confirmed military forces were implementing "complete operational protocols" to shoot down balloons.

About the border closure, Ruginiene said diplomats will still be able to travel for cross-border diplomatic missions, while European Union nationals and Lithuanian residents retain entry rights, but no other movement will be allowed.

"Through these actions, we communicate to Belarus declaring that unconventional threats won't be accepted here, and we will take all the strictest measures to stop such attacks," she said.

Official communications saw no quick answer from Minsk officials.

Alliance Coordination

The Baltic nation intends to coordinate with partners over the threat posed from the balloons with possible discussions about implementing the NATO consultation clause - a provision enabling alliance discussion about national security issues, specifically concerning defense matters - she added.

Flight Cancellations

Lithuanian airports were closed three times during holiday periods from balloon incidents from Belarus, affecting 112 flights and more than 16,500 passengers, per transportation authority data.

In recent weeks, 25 balloons entered Lithuania from Belarus, causing dozens of flight disruptions impacting thousands, according to emergency management officials.

These incidents continue previous patterns: by autumn measurements, hundreds of aerial devices documented crossing borders across the frontier in recent months, an NCMC spokesman said, with nearly thousand incidents during previous year.

Regional Situation

Other European airports - such as Scandinavian and German locations - have also been affected by air incursions, with unauthorized drone observations, over past months.