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Lithuania will begin to intercept and destroy balloons used to smuggle contraband tobacco across the border, the country's leader announced.

This decision follows after balloons entering Lithuanian airspace forced Vilnius Airport to close multiple times over the past week, affecting holiday travel, while authorities suspended frontier checkpoints during these events.

Border checkpoints will now be closed indefinitely in response to the helium weather balloons.

The government leader stated, "authorities will not hesitate to employ even the most severe actions against airspace violations."

Official Measures

Detailing the measures during a briefing, officials stated defense units were executing "all necessary measures" to shoot down balloons.

About the border closure, Ruginiene said diplomats will still be able to travel across the international border, 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 stating that asymmetric operations face opposition here, and we will take all the strictest measures to halt these operations," the Prime Minister emphasized.

Authorities received no prompt reaction from the neighboring government.

International Consultation

Authorities will discuss with international allies regarding the aerial device concerns while potentially considering invocation of Nato's Article 4 - a request for consultation by a Nato member country on any issue of concern, especially related to its security - officials noted.

Flight Cancellations

National air facilities experienced triple closures at the weekend due to weather balloons crossing the international border, impacting over hundred flights and thousands of travelers, per transportation authority data.

During the current month, multiple aerial devices crossed into Lithuanian airspace, causing dozens of flight disruptions impacting thousands, per national security agency reports.

These incidents continue previous patterns: by autumn measurements, numerous unauthorized objects tracked entering airspace across the frontier in recent months, according to official statements, while 966 were recorded last year.

European Context

Additional aviation facilities - covering northern and central European sites - experienced similar aerial disruptions, involving unmanned aerial vehicles, during current period.