Lithuania announced plans to close its border with Belarus indefinitely after repeated incursions of smuggler balloons into its airspace, Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė said Monday, marking a sharp escalation in tensions between the two neighbors.

The decision comes after Vilnius Airport and two Belarus border crossings were temporarily shut down Sunday evening following yet another balloon incident. Similar shutdowns occurred on Saturday, Friday, and Tuesday of the previous week, as well as on October 5, due to what officials described as “unidentified aerial objects” entering Lithuanian territory.

According to Lithuanian authorities, more than 170 flights were disrupted last week alone, affecting nearly 30,000 passengers.

“A government meeting will take place on Wednesday. We are already prepared to approve a decision to close the border with Belarus indefinitely,” Ruginienė told reporters, according to public broadcaster LRT.

She added that diplomats and EU citizens would be exempt from the closure, but emphasized that national security concerns must take priority.

Lithuania’s State Border Guard Service claims the balloons are being used to transport contraband cigarettes from Belarus into EU territory. However, officials in Vilnius also accuse the Belarusian regime of orchestrating the incursions as part of a broader campaign of “hybrid pressure.”

Prime Minister Ruginienė pointed to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko — a close ally of Russia — as being responsible for testing Lithuania’s defenses and resilience.

“This sends a clear signal to Belarus that no hybrid attack will be tolerated here, and we will take the strictest possible measures to stop such actions,” she said.

Ruginienė confirmed that Lithuanian security forces have been authorized to shoot down any balloons entering from Belarusian airspace. She also indicated that the government may request NATO Article 4 consultations — a mechanism allowing member states to discuss threats to their security.

The possible invocation of Article 4 underscores the seriousness with which Lithuania views the situation, especially amid heightened regional tensions following Russia’s war in Ukraine and Belarus’s growing alignment with Moscow.

Lithuania, a staunch supporter of Ukraine and vocal critic of both Russia and Belarus, shares a nearly 680-kilometer border with Belarus. It has repeatedly accused Minsk of facilitating migrant flows and other provocations aimed at destabilizing the region.

If the government confirms the indefinite closure on Wednesday, it will mark the most significant restriction on cross-border movement between Lithuania and Belarus since the start of the 2020 Belarusian political crisis.

Officials in Vilnius say the move is necessary to “protect Lithuanian sovereignty and the integrity of NATO’s eastern flank.” (ILKHA)