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Lithuania will begin to intercept and destroy helium balloons carrying illicit goods from Belarus, government officials confirmed.

This decision follows after balloons entering Lithuanian airspace forced Vilnius Airport to close on several occasions recently, affecting holiday travel, with the government also closing Belarus border crossings temporarily each time.

Frontier crossing points remain suspended indefinitely due to the ongoing aerial incidents.

According to official declarations, "we are ready to take the strictest possible measures during unauthorized aerial intrusions."

Government Response

Detailing the measures during a briefing, officials stated defense units were executing "complete operational protocols" to shoot down balloons.

Concerning border measures, the Prime Minister confirmed diplomatic movement continues across the international border, with special provisions for EU and Lithuanian nationals, however general movement continues suspended.

"In this way, we are sending a signal to Belarus declaring that unconventional threats won't be accepted within our territory, and we'll implement maximum countermeasures to stop such attacks," she said.

There has been no immediate response from Belarus.

International Consultation

The Baltic nation intends to coordinate with partners about the security challenges presented and may discuss activating the NATO consultation clause - a request for consultation by a Nato member country on any issue of concern, specifically concerning defense matters - the Prime Minister concluded.

Flight Cancellations

National air facilities experienced triple closures over the weekend because of aerial devices crossing the international border, affecting 112 flights and more than 16,500 passengers, based on regional media reports.

In recent weeks, several unauthorized objects traversed the border, causing dozens of flight disruptions impacting thousands, according to emergency management officials.

This situation represents ongoing challenges: through early October, numerous unauthorized objects tracked entering airspace across the frontier in recent months, an NCMC spokesman said, with nearly thousand incidents during previous year.

Regional Situation

International air travel hubs - covering northern and central European sites - have also been affected by air incursions, involving unmanned aerial vehicles, in recent weeks.