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Lithuania will begin to shoot down balloons used to smuggle cigarettes from neighbouring Belarus, its prime minister has warned.

This action responds after foreign objects crossing the border disrupted air traffic multiple times over the past week, affecting holiday travel, while authorities suspended cross-border movement during each incident.

Border checkpoints will now be closed indefinitely following repeated balloon incursions.

According to official declarations, "we are ready to take even the most severe actions when our airspace is violated."

National Security Actions

Outlining the strategy to media, officials stated defense units were executing "all necessary measures" to shoot down balloons.

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

"This represents our clear message to the neighboring nation and saying that no hybrid attack will be tolerated across our nation, employing comprehensive defensive actions to stop such attacks," government officials declared.

Official communications saw no quick answer from Belarus.

International Consultation

Authorities will discuss with international allies about the security challenges presented while potentially considering invocation of the NATO consultation clause - a provision enabling alliance discussion about national security issues, especially related to its security - she added.

Travel Impacts

National air facilities experienced triple closures during holiday periods from balloon incidents crossing the international border, affecting 112 flights and more than 16,500 passengers, based on regional media reports.

During the current month, several unauthorized objects traversed the border, resulting in numerous canceled flights and passenger inconveniences, per national security agency reports.

The phenomenon is not new: by autumn measurements, hundreds of aerial devices documented crossing borders from neighboring territory during current year, according to official statements, while 966 were recorded last year.

International Perspective

Additional aviation facilities - including in Copenhagen and Munich - faced comparable aviation security challenges, including drone sightings, in recent weeks.