Lithuania is preparing a tough response to Belarus: a prolonged border closure and transit to Kaliningrad are possible.

Today, the Minister of the Interior and Acting Minister of National Defence of Lithuania, Vladislav Kondratovich, is convening a working meeting to discuss technical measures to prevent further aerial incidents, such as the flights of weather balloons and drones that are paralyzing the operation of Vilnius Airport. This was written on Facebook by the Prime Minister of Lithuania, Inga Ruginienė.

The decisions will be presented to the National Security Commission tomorrow at 9 a.m. Both short-term and long-term solutions from the Lithuanian side will be considered there.

At the same time, the Ministry of the Interior has prepared amendments to the Criminal Code - providing for liability for threats to aviation and stricter penalties for smuggling by air.

Also, the Ministry of Economy, together with representatives of defence, science and innovation, must find specific technological solutions against air threats from Belarus.

Simultaneously with the diplomatic route, the Prime Minister does not rule out the possibility of closing the border with Belarus for a long period.

The head of the Lithuanian state, Gitanas Nausėda, suggested considering the issue of restricting transit to Kaliningrad.

He assesses the incidents of recent days and disruptions to airport operations "as a hybrid attack on Lithuania, which must be responded to in both symmetrical and asymmetrical ways":

"In the coming days, the government should propose ways to respond. Among the options to be considered are a prolonged closure of the border with Belarus and a restriction of transit to Kaliningrad."

On the evening of 25 October, Vilnius Airport was again shut down. This is the third time in a week and the second evening in a row that flights have been suspended and border crossing points temporarily closed due to the large number of smuggled balloons from Belarus.

In total, the suspension of airport operations affected about 70 flights and more than 10,000 passengers during the week.

Representatives of the parliamentary opposition have criticised the Lithuanian government for inaction.

"Lithuania is becoming a dysfunctional country that businessmen and tourists will bypass," said Saulius Skvernelis, chairman of the Democratic Union "For the Sake of Lithuania."

"Vilnius Airport is disrupted for the second night in a row," he wrote on social media. "It seems that the desire of our residents to use the capital's airport will become minimal. The government's dysfunctionality is already damaging both the image of the state and its security and reliability."

Skvernelis reproached the government for still being firmly convinced that it is simply a matter of smuggling.

"In Belarus, no illegal activity is carried out without the permission, agreement or simply the order of the KGB and military intelligence," the former prime minister believes.

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