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Lithuania will begin to eliminate helium balloons carrying contraband tobacco across the border, its prime minister has warned.

The measure comes after foreign objects crossing the border necessitated airport closures on several occasions recently, with weekend disruptions, with the government also closing frontier checkpoints during these events.

Border checkpoints will now be closed indefinitely due to the ongoing aerial incidents.

The government leader stated, "our nation stands prepared to implement maximum response protocols during unauthorized aerial intrusions."

National Security Actions

Outlining the strategy to media, Ruginiene said the army was taking "complete operational protocols" to intercept unauthorized devices.

Concerning border measures, Ruginiene said diplomats will still be able to travel for cross-border diplomatic missions, while European Union nationals and Lithuanian residents retain entry rights, however general movement continues suspended.

"Through these actions, we communicate to the neighboring nation stating that asymmetric operations face opposition within our territory, and we'll implement maximum countermeasures to halt these operations," the Prime Minister emphasized.

There has been no immediate response from the neighboring government.

Alliance Coordination

Authorities will discuss with international allies about the security challenges presented while potentially considering invocation of Nato's Article 4 - a provision enabling alliance discussion regarding security matters, especially related to its security - officials noted.

Flight Cancellations

National air facilities experienced triple closures at the weekend due to weather balloons originating from neighboring territory, disrupting air transport and passenger movement, according to Baltic News Service.

Earlier this month, several unauthorized objects traversed the border, leading to 30 flight cancellations affecting 6,000 passengers, per national security agency reports.

This situation represents ongoing challenges: through early October, numerous unauthorized objects tracked entering airspace from neighboring territory during current year, per government spokesperson comments, while 966 were recorded last year.

Regional Situation

Additional aviation facilities - covering northern and central European sites - faced comparable aviation security challenges, with unauthorized drone observations, during current period.