The Baltic nation plans to shoot down helium balloons carrying illicit goods from Belarus, its prime minister has warned.
The measure comes after foreign objects crossing the border necessitated airport closures repeatedly in recent days, including at the weekend, with the government also closing Belarus border crossings temporarily each time.
Frontier crossing points remain suspended indefinitely due to the ongoing aerial incidents.
The government leader stated, "authorities will not hesitate to employ maximum response protocols against airspace violations."
Detailing the measures during a briefing, officials stated defense units were executing "all necessary measures" to intercept unauthorized devices.
Concerning border measures, Ruginiene said diplomats will still be able to travel between the two countries, while European Union nationals and Lithuanian residents retain entry rights, however general movement continues suspended.
"This represents our clear message to the neighboring nation declaring that unconventional threats won't be accepted within our territory, and we'll implement maximum countermeasures to halt these operations," government officials declared.
There has been no immediate response from Minsk officials.
Authorities will discuss with international allies over the threat posed from the balloons while potentially considering invocation of the NATO consultation clause - a provision enabling alliance discussion about national security issues, specifically concerning defense matters - the Prime Minister concluded.
Aviation hubs faced multiple shutdowns over the weekend because of aerial devices crossing the international border, affecting 112 flights and more than 16,500 passengers, per transportation authority data.
Earlier this month, 25 balloons entered Lithuania from Belarus, resulting in numerous canceled flights and passenger inconveniences, per national security agency reports.
These incidents continue previous patterns: through early October, hundreds of aerial devices documented crossing borders from Belarus this year, an NCMC spokesman said, while 966 were recorded last year.
International air travel hubs - such as Scandinavian and German locations - faced comparable aviation security challenges, including drone sightings, over past months.
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