October 27, Pozirk. The Lithuanian government has drafted a decision to close the border indefinitely in response to an influx of cigarette-smuggling weather balloons from Belarus, Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė said after today’s meeting of the national security commission.
she said that the decision provides for exceptions: this means that diplomats and diplomatic mail could pass through, as could EU citizens entering Lithuania from Belarus. “All other movement will be stopped. In this way, we are sending a signal to Belarus that we will not tolerate any hybrid attacks here, and we will take the toughest measures to prevent them,” she said, according to LRT.
Ruginienė pointed out that the Lithuanian foreign ministry will coordinate a package of additional sanctions on Minsk with the EU.
“This will be done soon. We are also actively consulting and communicating with our allies and neighbors Poland and Latvia. Any actions we take are coordinated with them. We are not an isolated state; we are part of NATO and the EU. We coordinate everything we do with them,” the premier said.
According to Ruginienė, starting October 27, the military may shoot down foreign balloons. “This way, we are sending a signal that we are ready to take even the toughest measures in case of a violation of our airspace.”
