🔗 Share this article

Lithuania will begin to eliminate helium balloons carrying contraband tobacco across the border, government officials confirmed.

This decision follows after foreign objects crossing the border necessitated airport closures on several occasions recently, with weekend disruptions, while authorities suspended cross-border movement during each incident.

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

Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene said, "we are ready to take maximum response protocols during unauthorized aerial intrusions."

Official Measures

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

Concerning border measures, officials noted embassy personnel maintain access across the international border, and EU citizens and Lithuanians can enter from Belarus, though all other travel remains prohibited.

"Through these actions, we communicate to Belarus and saying that no hybrid attack will be tolerated here, and we will take all the strictest measures to prevent similar incidents," she said.

Authorities received no prompt reaction from the neighboring government.

International Consultation

Lithuania plans to consult its allies regarding the aerial device concerns while potentially considering invocation of Nato's Article 4 - a provision enabling alliance discussion on any issue of concern, specifically concerning defense matters - officials noted.

Flight Cancellations

Aviation hubs faced multiple shutdowns during holiday periods from balloon incidents crossing the international border, impacting over hundred flights and thousands of travelers, according to Baltic News Service.

In recent weeks, multiple aerial devices crossed into Lithuanian airspace, leading to 30 flight cancellations affecting 6,000 passengers, according to emergency management officials.

The phenomenon is not new: through early October, hundreds of aerial devices documented crossing borders across the frontier in recent months, according to official statements, with nearly thousand incidents during previous year.

Regional Situation

International air travel hubs - such as Scandinavian and German locations - faced comparable aviation security challenges, with unauthorized drone observations, in recent weeks.