– I must say that we are in a crisis situation. The crisis is serious adequate that it is no longer just a substance of government, but of all of us," Matulionis said.
– It becomes clearer that (the incoming balloons from Belarus – ed.) it is not just a contraband, but that it serves as a cover. In fact, this is simply a hybrid intellectual action. He stressed.
Lithuania is counting on allies
According to the advisor, diplomatic action should be taken in consequence to this situation, among others, by asking for aid from allies.
– This is not just an interior substance of Lithuania. We request to make it clear to our partners that we are dealing with a hybrid attack and we anticipate additional support He said.
The head of Lithuanian diplomacy Kestutis Budrys pointed out on Monday in an interview with the press that the situation with balloons carrying contraband from Belarus was not new, but the institutions began to take this threat more seriously. – (These incidents – ed.) repeat themselves. It is fresh that civilian aviation has somewhat raised the bar erstwhile it comes to safety measures, which makes us feel these consequences at airports," said the minister.
Closed airports
Due to the fresh intrusion of Belarusian balloons into Lithuania's airspace four times the airport in Vilnius was closed. This included a full of over 140 flights and affected over 20,000 passengers.
In response, the Lithuanian government announced that it would close ground border crossings with Belarus for an indefinite period. In addition, an action plan has been developed to combat smuggling balloons, including shooting them down. The authorities intend to tighten up the penalties for smuggling and to step up the fight against it, and the MFA is to make an additional package of sanctions for Belarus.
Polon / PAP
