Lithuania Vows to Shoot Down Smuggler Balloons

Lithuania's Prime Minister, Inga Ruginiene, announced that the country will take action against smuggler balloons coming from Belarus to ensure air traffic safety. Lithuania temporarily closed Vilnius Airport and shut Belarus border crossings multiple times last week due to these incursions.

In a significant move, Lithuania's Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene declared on Monday that the nation would actively shoot down smuggler balloons entering from Belarus.

This decisive measure follows a series of airspace violations that prompted Lithuania, a NATO member, to temporarily close Vilnius Airport on four occasions last week alone.

In response to these incursions, border crossings with Belarus were also intermittently shut down to safeguard the integrity of Lithuanian airspace and national security.

(With inputs from agencies.)