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The Baltic nation plans to intercept and destroy helium balloons carrying cigarettes from neighbouring Belarus, the country's leader announced.

The measure comes after foreign objects crossing the border disrupted air traffic multiple times over the past week, affecting holiday travel, while authorities suspended frontier checkpoints during these events.

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

According to official declarations, "authorities will not hesitate to employ the strictest possible measures when our airspace is violated."

National Security Actions

Outlining the strategy to media, officials stated defense units were executing "all necessary measures" to intercept unauthorized devices.

Concerning border measures, the Prime Minister confirmed diplomatic movement continues between the two countries, while European Union nationals and Lithuanian residents retain entry rights, but no other movement will be allowed.

"This represents our clear message to Belarus and saying that no hybrid attack will be tolerated within our territory, and we'll implement maximum countermeasures to prevent similar incidents," government officials declared.

There has been no immediate response from Minsk officials.

International Consultation

Lithuania plans to consult its allies regarding the aerial device concerns with possible discussions about implementing Nato's Article 4 - a request for consultation by a Nato member country about national security issues, especially related to its security - the Prime Minister concluded.

Travel Impacts

Lithuanian airports were closed three times 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, multiple aerial devices crossed into Lithuanian airspace, resulting in numerous canceled flights and passenger inconveniences, according to emergency management officials.

This situation represents ongoing challenges: by autumn measurements, numerous unauthorized objects tracked entering airspace from Belarus this year, according to official statements, while 966 were recorded last year.

European Context

Additional aviation facilities - including in Copenhagen and Munich - experienced similar aerial disruptions, involving unmanned aerial vehicles, over past months.