Lithuania to shoot down smuggling balloons, PM warns

Lithuania will begin to shoot down balloons used to smuggle cigarettes from neighbouring Belarus, its prime minister has warned.

The measure comes after balloons entering Lithuanian airspace forced Vilnius Airport to close multiple times over the past week, including at the weekend, with the government also closing Belarus border crossings temporarily each time.

Border checkpoints 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 actions 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 balloons.

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

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

There has been no immediate response from Belarus.

Lithuania plans to consult its allies over the threat posed from the balloons and may discuss activating Nato’s Article 4 – a request for consultation by a Nato member country on any issue of concern, especially related to its security – she added.

Lithuanian airports were closed three times at the 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 Centre (NCMC) told the BBC.

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

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