Lithuania to shoot down contraband balloons, PM warns

Lithuania will start shooting down balloons used to smuggle cigarettes from neighboring Belarus, its prime minister has warned.

The move comes after balloons entering Lithuanian airspace forced Vilnius airport to close several times over the past week, including over the weekend, with the government also temporarily closing Belarusian border crossings each time.

Border checkpoints will now be closed indefinitely in response to helium weather balloons.

Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene said that “we are ready to take the toughest measures when our airspace is violated.”

Announcing the actions at a press conference on Monday, Ruginiene said the army was taking “all necessary measures” to shoot down the balloons.

Regarding the border closure, Ruginiene said diplomats will still be able to travel between the two countries and EU citizens and Lithuanians will be able to enter from Belarus, but no other movement will be allowed.

“In this way, we send a signal to Belarus that no hybrid attacks will be tolerated here and that we will take all the strictest measures to stop such attacks,” she said.

There was no immediate response from Belarus.

Lithuania plans to consult its allies on the threat posed by balloons and could discuss activating NATO Article 4 – a request for consultation by a NATO member country on any issue of concern, particularly related to its security – she added.

Lithuanian airports were closed three times this weekend due to weather balloons from Belarus, affecting 112 flights and more than 16,500 passengers, according to Baltic News Service.

Earlier this month, 25 balloons entered Lithuania from Belarus, leading to 30 flight cancellations affecting 6,000 passengers, Lithuania’s National Crisis Management Center (NCMC) told the BBC.

The phenomenon is not new: as of October 6, 544 balloons had been registered this year from Belarus, said an NCMC spokesperson, compared to 966 last year.

Other European airports, including Copenhagen and Munich, have also been hit by aerial incursions, including drone sightings, in recent weeks.