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The Baltic nation plans to eliminate aerial devices transporting contraband tobacco across the border, the country's leader announced.

The measure comes after balloons entering Lithuanian airspace necessitated airport closures multiple times over the past week, affecting holiday travel, accompanied by temporary closures of Belarus border crossings temporarily each time.

International border access continues restricted due to the ongoing aerial incidents.

According to official declarations, "we are ready to take even the most severe actions during unauthorized aerial intrusions."

National Security Actions

Detailing the measures during a briefing, officials stated defense units were executing "all necessary measures" to eliminate aerial threats.

Regarding frontier restrictions, officials noted embassy personnel maintain access between the two countries, with special provisions for EU and Lithuanian nationals, however general movement continues suspended.

"This represents our clear message to the neighboring nation stating that asymmetric operations face opposition across our nation, employing comprehensive defensive actions to halt these operations," the Prime Minister emphasized.

There has been no immediate response from Minsk officials.

Alliance Coordination

Authorities will discuss with international allies regarding the aerial device concerns while potentially considering invocation of the NATO consultation clause - a provision enabling alliance discussion regarding security matters, especially related to its security - the Prime Minister concluded.

Flight Cancellations

Lithuanian airports were closed three times over the weekend because of aerial devices from Belarus, affecting 112 flights and more than 16,500 passengers, per transportation authority data.

In recent weeks, 25 balloons entered Lithuania from Belarus, leading to 30 flight cancellations affecting 6,000 passengers, per national security agency reports.

These incidents continue previous patterns: as of 6 October, 544 balloons were recorded entering Lithuania from Belarus this year, per government spokesperson comments, with nearly thousand incidents during previous year.

International Perspective

International air travel hubs - such as Scandinavian and German locations - faced comparable aviation security challenges, including drone sightings, in recent weeks.