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Authorities have decided to shoot down aerial devices transporting contraband tobacco across the border, its prime minister has warned.

The measure comes after foreign objects crossing the border necessitated airport closures on several occasions recently, affecting holiday travel, accompanied by temporary closures of frontier checkpoints during these events.

Frontier crossing points remain suspended indefinitely in response to the helium weather balloons.

The government leader stated, "we are ready to take the strictest possible measures when our airspace is violated."

Official Measures

Detailing the measures during a briefing, officials stated defense units were executing "every required action" to shoot down balloons.

About the border closure, Ruginiene said diplomats will still be able to travel between the two countries, 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 prevent similar incidents," she said.

Official communications saw no quick answer from Minsk officials.

Alliance Coordination

The Baltic nation intends to coordinate with partners over the threat posed from the balloons with possible discussions about implementing Nato's Article 4 - a protocol allowing member state consultation about national security issues, specifically concerning defense matters - the Prime Minister concluded.

Airport Disruptions

National air facilities experienced triple closures at the weekend due to weather balloons crossing the international border, affecting 112 flights and more than 16,500 passengers, per transportation authority data.

In recent weeks, several unauthorized objects traversed the border, causing dozens of flight disruptions impacting thousands, per national security agency reports.

The phenomenon is not new: as of 6 October, hundreds of aerial devices documented crossing borders from Belarus this year, an NCMC spokesman said, compared to higher numbers in prior period.

European Context

Other European airports - covering northern and central European sites - experienced similar aerial disruptions, involving unmanned aerial vehicles, in recent weeks.