Lithuania to close entire border with Belarus following weather balloon incidents

Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė has said her government has made a decision to close the border with Belarus indefinitely following incidents involving weather balloons.

As reported byLithuanian public broadcaster LRT, Ruginienė explained that there would be certain exceptions to the border closure.

"This means that diplomats and diplomatic pouches will still be able to cross the border, and Lithuanian and EU citizens will be able to return from Belarus, but all other movement will be stopped. We are sending a clear signal to Belarus: no hybrid attacks will be tolerated, and we will take the strictest measures to stop them," Ruginienė said.

Ruginienė also said that since Monday, the Lithuanian military has been taking "all the necessary measures" to deal with the incoming weather balloons, including destroying them with weapons.

She said Lithuania is now able to monitor the trajectory of the weather balloons.

"We have begun recording not only the number of balloons but we are also closely monitoring their flight paths. This will enable us to coordinate our actions more precisely and adjust airport operations accordingly," she added.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda has proposed closing the border with Belarus for a long time and restricting transit to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.

Vilnius airport and the border with Belarus were closed for the third night in a row, and four times in total over the past week.