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Authorities have decided to eliminate balloons used to smuggle cigarettes from neighbouring Belarus, the country's leader announced.

This decision follows after foreign objects crossing the border forced Vilnius Airport to close repeatedly in recent days, with weekend disruptions, accompanied by temporary closures of cross-border movement during each incident.

Border checkpoints will now be closed indefinitely following repeated balloon incursions.

According to official declarations, "our nation stands prepared to implement maximum response protocols against airspace violations."

National Security Actions

Announcing the actions at a press conference, Ruginiene said the army was taking "every required action" to eliminate aerial threats.

Concerning border measures, officials noted embassy personnel maintain access between the two countries, while European Union nationals and Lithuanian residents retain entry rights, though all other travel remains prohibited.

"This represents our clear message to the neighboring nation declaring that unconventional threats won't be accepted within our territory, and we'll implement maximum countermeasures to stop such attacks," she said.

Authorities received no prompt reaction from Minsk officials.

International Consultation

Authorities will discuss with international allies regarding the aerial device concerns and may discuss activating the alliance's consultation mechanism - a provision enabling alliance discussion regarding security matters, specifically concerning defense matters - the Prime Minister concluded.

Flight Cancellations

Lithuanian airports were closed three times over the weekend because of aerial devices originating from neighboring territory, disrupting air transport and passenger movement, according to Baltic News Service.

Earlier this month, multiple aerial devices crossed into Lithuanian airspace, resulting in numerous canceled flights and passenger inconveniences, according to emergency management officials.

These incidents continue previous patterns: by autumn measurements, 544 balloons were recorded entering Lithuania from Belarus this year, per government spokesperson comments, with nearly thousand incidents during previous year.

International Perspective

Other European airports - such as Scandinavian and German locations - experienced similar aerial disruptions, with unauthorized drone observations, during current period.