Lithuania will take down smuggled balloons, the prime minister warns

Lithuania will begin taking 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 repeatedly over the past week, including over the weekend, with the government also temporarily closing Belarus border crossings each time.

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

Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene said “we are ready to take even the most severe action when our airspace is violated.”

Announcing the move at a news conference on Monday, Ruginiene said the army was taking “all necessary measures” to bring down balloons.

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

“In this way, we are sending a signal to Belarus and saying that hybrid attacks will not be tolerated here and we will take all the strictest measures to stop such attacks,” she said.

There was no immediate response from Belarus.

Lithuania plans to consult with its allies about the threat posed by the balloons and may consider activating NATO’s Article 4 – a request for consultation by a NATO member country on any issue particularly related to its security – she added.

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

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

The phenomenon is not new: as of October 6 this year, 544 balloons were registered entering Lithuania from Belarus, an NCMC spokesman said, while 966 were registered last year.

Other European airports – including those in Copenhagen and Munich – have also been hit by air raids, including drone sightings in recent weeks.