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Lithuania has announced it will begin shooting down smuggler balloons originating from Belarus, following repeated disruptions to the Baltic nation’s air traffic, Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene confirmed on Monday.
The decision comes after Vilnius Airport was forced to close on four separate occasions last week due to incursions into its airspace.
Each incident also prompted the temporary closure of Lithuania’s border crossings with Belarus.
Lithuanian authorities assert that the balloons are deployed by smugglers ferrying contraband cigarettes from Belarus into the European Union.
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Belarus’s President Alexander Lukashenko has been accused of being behind the balloons (AFP/Getty)
They further accuse Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, a staunch ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, of failing to halt the illicit activity.
There was no immediate comment from Belarus.
Ruginiene called the incidents “hybrid attacks” and said the Belarus border crossings will be closed except for travel by diplomats and by European Union citizens leaving the neighbouring country.
“Today we have decided to take the strictest measures. There is no other way,” Ruginiene told a press conference, adding that NATO member Lithuania may also discuss invoking NATO article 4 security consultations.
European aviation has repeatedly been thrown into chaos in recent weeks by drone sightings and other air incursions, including at airports in Copenhagen, Munich and the Baltic region.
On Thursday, Lithuania said two Russian military aircraft had entered its airspace for about 18 seconds, prompting a formal protest and a reaction from NATO forces, while Russia denied the incident.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said recent airspace violations should not be regarded as isolated incidents.
“These are calculated provocations designed to destabilize, distract (and) test NATO’s resolve,” he said on social media X.
