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

The measure comes after balloons entering Lithuanian airspace forced Vilnius Airport to close multiple times over the past week, including at the weekend, accompanied by temporary closures of frontier checkpoints during these events.

Border checkpoints will now be closed indefinitely due to the ongoing aerial incidents.

Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene said, "we are ready to take maximum response protocols during unauthorized aerial intrusions."

Government Response

Outlining the strategy to media, the Prime Minister confirmed military forces were implementing "all necessary measures" to intercept unauthorized devices.

Regarding frontier restrictions, officials noted embassy personnel maintain access between the two countries, and EU citizens and Lithuanians can enter from Belarus, though all other travel remains prohibited.

"In this way, we are sending a signal to Belarus and saying that no hybrid attack will be tolerated here, and we will take all the strictest measures to prevent similar incidents," she said.

Official communications saw no quick answer from the neighboring government.

Alliance Coordination

Lithuania plans to consult its allies regarding the aerial device concerns and may discuss activating Nato's Article 4 - a protocol allowing member state consultation on any issue of concern, especially related to its security - officials noted.

Airport Disruptions

Aviation hubs faced multiple shutdowns over the weekend because of aerial devices crossing the international border, affecting 112 flights and more than 16,500 passengers, according to Baltic News Service.

In recent weeks, 25 balloons entered Lithuania from Belarus, resulting in numerous canceled flights and passenger inconveniences, Lithuania's National Crisis Management Centre told the BBC.

This situation represents ongoing challenges: as of 6 October, hundreds of aerial devices documented crossing borders from Belarus this year, per government spokesperson comments, with nearly thousand incidents during previous year.

European Context

Additional aviation facilities - such as Scandinavian and German locations - faced comparable aviation security challenges, including drone sightings, over past months.