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Authorities have decided to intercept and destroy aerial devices transporting cigarettes from neighbouring Belarus, the country's leader announced.

This decision follows after unauthorized aerial incursions disrupted air traffic repeatedly in recent days, affecting holiday travel, while authorities suspended frontier checkpoints during these events.

Frontier crossing points remain suspended indefinitely due to the ongoing aerial incidents.

The government leader stated, "we are ready to take even the most severe actions during unauthorized aerial intrusions."

Government Response

Outlining the strategy to media, the Prime Minister confirmed military forces were implementing "complete operational protocols" to eliminate aerial threats.

Regarding frontier restrictions, officials noted embassy personnel maintain access for cross-border diplomatic missions, while European Union nationals and Lithuanian residents retain entry rights, but no other movement will be allowed.

"This represents our clear message to foreign authorities and saying that no hybrid attack will be tolerated across our nation, employing comprehensive defensive actions to stop such attacks," government officials declared.

There has been no immediate response from Minsk officials.

Diplomatic Measures

The Baltic nation intends to coordinate with partners over the threat posed from the balloons with possible discussions about implementing the NATO consultation clause - a protocol allowing member state consultation regarding security matters, particularly involving territorial protection - the Prime Minister concluded.

Airport Disruptions

Aviation hubs faced multiple shutdowns over the weekend because of aerial devices crossing the international border, affecting 112 flights and more than 16,500 passengers, per transportation authority data.

In recent weeks, multiple aerial devices crossed into Lithuanian airspace, resulting in numerous canceled flights and passenger inconveniences, according to emergency management officials.

This situation represents ongoing challenges: by autumn measurements, hundreds of aerial devices documented crossing borders from neighboring territory during current year, per government spokesperson comments, with nearly thousand incidents during previous year.

International Perspective

Other European airports - such as Scandinavian and German locations - faced comparable aviation security challenges, involving unmanned aerial vehicles, over past months.