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Authorities have decided to intercept and destroy aerial devices transporting cigarettes from neighbouring Belarus, its prime minister has warned.

The measure comes after foreign objects crossing the border forced Vilnius Airport to close multiple times over the past week, with weekend disruptions, accompanied by temporary closures of cross-border movement during each incident.

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

Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene said, "our nation stands prepared to implement maximum response protocols when our airspace is violated."

Official Measures

Announcing the actions at a press conference, Ruginiene said the army was taking "complete operational protocols" to shoot down balloons.

Concerning border measures, Ruginiene said diplomats will still be able to travel across the international border, and EU citizens and Lithuanians can enter from Belarus, but no other movement will be allowed.

"Through these actions, we communicate to foreign authorities declaring that unconventional threats won't be accepted here, and we will take all the strictest measures to prevent similar incidents," she said.

There has been no immediate response from the neighboring government.

Diplomatic Measures

The Baltic nation intends to coordinate with partners over the threat posed from the balloons 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.

Travel Impacts

Aviation hubs faced multiple shutdowns at the weekend due to weather balloons from Belarus, disrupting air transport and passenger movement, per transportation authority data.

In recent weeks, 25 balloons entered Lithuania from Belarus, resulting in numerous canceled flights and passenger inconveniences, Lithuania's National Crisis Management Centre told the BBC.

These incidents continue previous patterns: by autumn measurements, 544 balloons were recorded entering Lithuania across the frontier in recent months, per government spokesperson comments, compared to higher numbers in prior period.

Regional Situation

International air travel hubs - covering northern and central European sites - experienced similar aerial disruptions, involving unmanned aerial vehicles, during current period.