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Lithuania will begin to eliminate helium balloons carrying cigarettes from neighbouring Belarus, government officials confirmed.

This action responds after balloons entering Lithuanian airspace forced Vilnius Airport to close repeatedly in recent days, with weekend disruptions, with the government also closing frontier checkpoints during these events.

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

According to official declarations, "authorities will not hesitate to employ even the most severe actions when our airspace is violated."

Official Measures

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

About the border closure, officials noted embassy personnel maintain access across the international border, with special provisions for EU and Lithuanian nationals, though all other travel remains prohibited.

"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 prevent similar incidents," she said.

There has been no immediate response from Belarus.

Alliance Coordination

The Baltic nation intends to coordinate with partners about the security challenges presented and may discuss activating the alliance's consultation mechanism - a request for consultation by a Nato member country on any issue of concern, particularly involving territorial protection - she added.

Travel Impacts

Aviation hubs faced multiple shutdowns during holiday periods from balloon incidents crossing the international border, disrupting air transport and passenger movement, based on regional media reports.

During the current month, several unauthorized objects traversed the border, leading to 30 flight cancellations affecting 6,000 passengers, according to emergency management officials.

The phenomenon is not new: by autumn measurements, hundreds of aerial devices documented crossing borders from Belarus this year, according to official statements, with nearly thousand incidents during previous year.

International Perspective

International air travel hubs - such as Scandinavian and German locations - experienced similar aerial disruptions, involving unmanned aerial vehicles, during current period.