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Authorities have decided to shoot down aerial devices transporting contraband tobacco across the border, the country's leader announced.

This decision follows after foreign objects crossing the border forced Vilnius Airport to close multiple times over the past week, including at the weekend, accompanied by temporary closures of cross-border movement during each incident.

Frontier crossing points remain suspended indefinitely in response to the helium weather balloons.

The government leader stated, "authorities will not hesitate to employ the strictest possible measures during unauthorized aerial intrusions."

National Security Actions

Outlining the strategy to media, Ruginiene said the army was taking "all necessary measures" to shoot down balloons.

Concerning border measures, Ruginiene said diplomats will still be able to travel for cross-border diplomatic missions, with special provisions for EU and Lithuanian nationals, though all other travel remains prohibited.

"Through these actions, we communicate to the neighboring nation and saying that no hybrid attack will be tolerated within our territory, and we'll implement maximum countermeasures to stop such attacks," government officials declared.

There has been no immediate response from the neighboring government.

International Consultation

Lithuania plans to consult its allies regarding the aerial device concerns while potentially considering invocation of the alliance's consultation mechanism - a protocol allowing member state consultation about national security issues, particularly involving territorial protection - the Prime Minister concluded.

Travel Impacts

Lithuanian airports were closed three times during holiday periods from balloon incidents from Belarus, disrupting air transport and passenger movement, according to Baltic News Service.

In recent weeks, multiple aerial devices crossed into Lithuanian airspace, resulting in numerous canceled flights and passenger inconveniences, Lithuania's National Crisis Management Centre told the BBC.

The phenomenon is not new: through early October, numerous unauthorized objects tracked entering airspace from Belarus this year, per government spokesperson comments, while 966 were recorded last year.

Regional Situation

Other European airports - including in Copenhagen and Munich - faced comparable aviation security challenges, with unauthorized drone observations, in recent weeks.