Riga, 27 October 2025 (dpa/MIA) - Lithuania will close its border with Belarus indefinitely following several airspace violations and flight disruptions caused by balloons, Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė said on Monday after a national security meeting.

The government is set to approve the measure at a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Ruginienė said.

The Lithuanian military will also take "all necessary measures" to stop balloons entering from Belarus, she added, without giving details.

The NATO member state experienced four incidents last week in which weather balloons flying toward airports disrupted air traffic.

Officials said the balloons are often used by smugglers to transport cigarettes illegally from authoritarian-ruled and Russia-allied Belarus.

Air traffic was temporarily suspended for safety reasons, affecting more than 140 flights and over 20,000 passengers in total.

In response, border guards closed the two remaining open crossings with Belarus, at Šalčininkai and Medininkai.

Vilnius calls incidents a 'hybrid attack'

Lithuanian authorities have recovered several balloons carrying boxes of smuggled cigarettes wrapped in plastic and have detained suspects linked to the airborne smuggling operations.

Ruginienė said the government would discuss tougher penalties for smuggling.

She described the incursions as a "hybrid attack," accusing Belarusian authorities of complicity through inaction. Other officials said the smuggling serves as a cover for a broader hybrid psychological operation.

Ruginienė said Lithuania was consulting closely with its allies, including fellow EU members Poland and Latvia, and did not rule out invoking NATO's Article 4, which calls for consultations when a member state perceives a threat.

Photo: Inga Ruginienė's Facebook account