Lithuania to shoot down illicit aerial devices, government leader states.

Lithuania will begin to shoot down helium balloons carrying contraband tobacco across the border, the country's leader announced.

The measure comes after balloons entering Lithuanian airspace disrupted air traffic repeatedly in recent days, with weekend disruptions, with the government also closing frontier checkpoints during these events.

International border access continues restricted in response to the helium weather balloons.

According to official declarations, "authorities will not hesitate to employ even the most severe actions during unauthorized aerial intrusions."

National Security Actions

Outlining the strategy to media, the Prime Minister confirmed military forces were implementing "all necessary measures" to eliminate aerial threats.

Concerning border measures, the Prime Minister confirmed diplomatic movement continues for cross-border diplomatic missions, while European Union nationals and Lithuanian residents retain entry rights, however general movement continues suspended.

"In this way, we are sending a signal to Belarus and saying that no hybrid attack will be tolerated here, and we will take all the strictest measures to prevent similar incidents," the Prime Minister emphasized.

There has been no immediate response from the neighboring government.

Alliance Coordination

Lithuania plans to consult its allies regarding the aerial device concerns and may discuss activating the alliance's consultation mechanism - a provision enabling alliance discussion regarding security matters, particularly involving territorial protection - she added.

Airport Disruptions

National air facilities experienced triple closures during holiday periods from balloon incidents from Belarus, impacting over hundred flights and thousands of travelers, per transportation authority data.

Earlier this month, several unauthorized objects traversed the border, causing dozens of flight disruptions impacting thousands, per national security agency reports.

The phenomenon is not new: by autumn measurements, numerous unauthorized objects tracked entering airspace from neighboring territory during current 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, including drone sightings, in recent weeks.