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The Baltic nation plans to intercept and destroy aerial devices transporting illicit goods from Belarus, the country's leader announced.

This decision follows after foreign objects crossing the border forced Vilnius Airport to close on several occasions recently, with weekend disruptions, with the government also closing Belarus border crossings temporarily each time.

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

According to official declarations, "we are ready to take even the most severe actions when our airspace is violated."

Government Response

Detailing the measures during a briefing, officials stated defense units were executing "all necessary measures" to shoot down balloons.

About the border closure, the Prime Minister confirmed diplomatic movement continues for cross-border diplomatic missions, and EU citizens and Lithuanians can enter from Belarus, though all other travel remains prohibited.

"This represents our clear message to the neighboring nation and saying that no hybrid attack will be tolerated within our territory, and we'll implement maximum countermeasures to halt these operations," government officials declared.

Official communications saw no quick answer from the neighboring government.

Diplomatic Measures

The Baltic nation intends to coordinate with partners regarding the aerial device concerns and may discuss activating the NATO consultation clause - a provision enabling alliance discussion about national security issues, particularly involving territorial protection - she added.

Airport Disruptions

National air facilities experienced triple closures at the weekend due to weather balloons crossing the international border, disrupting air transport and passenger movement, according to Baltic News Service.

During the current month, several unauthorized objects traversed the border, resulting in numerous canceled flights and passenger inconveniences, Lithuania's National Crisis Management Centre told the BBC.

These incidents continue previous patterns: by autumn measurements, 544 balloons were recorded entering Lithuania across the frontier in recent months, according to official statements, compared to higher numbers in prior period.

European Context

Additional aviation facilities - including in Copenhagen and Munich - faced comparable aviation security challenges, including drone sightings, in recent weeks.