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Authorities have decided to eliminate balloons used to smuggle illicit goods from Belarus, its prime minister has warned.

This action responds after balloons entering Lithuanian airspace necessitated airport closures repeatedly in recent days, with weekend disruptions, accompanied by temporary closures of Belarus border crossings temporarily each time.

Frontier crossing points remain suspended indefinitely following repeated balloon incursions.

According to official declarations, "authorities will not hesitate to employ even the most severe actions against airspace violations."

National Security Actions

Outlining the strategy to media, the Prime Minister confirmed military forces were implementing "every required action" 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.

"In this way, we are sending a signal to foreign authorities declaring that unconventional threats won't be accepted within our territory, and we'll implement maximum countermeasures to prevent similar incidents," the Prime Minister emphasized.

Authorities received no prompt reaction from the neighboring government.

International Consultation

Authorities will discuss with international allies over the threat posed from the balloons while potentially considering invocation of the alliance's consultation mechanism - a request for consultation by a Nato member country regarding security matters, especially related to its security - the Prime Minister concluded.

Travel Impacts

Lithuanian airports were closed three times during holiday periods from balloon incidents crossing the international border, disrupting air transport and passenger movement, according to Baltic News Service.

In recent weeks, 25 balloons entered Lithuania from Belarus, leading to 30 flight cancellations affecting 6,000 passengers, per national security agency reports.

This situation represents ongoing challenges: by autumn measurements, numerous unauthorized objects tracked entering airspace from Belarus this year, per government spokesperson comments, while 966 were recorded last year.

International Perspective

Additional aviation facilities - such as Scandinavian and German locations - have also been affected by air incursions, including drone sightings, during current period.