In connection with the arrival of weather balloons from Belarus used by smugglers, the Lithuanian police and border guards have mobilized joint forces, while the government will decide on amendments to the Criminal Code to punish smugglers more severely.

Lithuania also plans to consult with allies regarding the threat posed by the balloons, and the Foreign Ministry has been tasked with"coordinating a package of additional sanctions against Belarus," Ruginiene said. She confirmed that Lithuania is working closely with Poland and Latvia.

"We do not rule out the possibility of not only coordinating our actions with neighboring countries, but also discussing the activation of NATO's Article 4," she said.

Under Article 4, any NATO member state can request consultations if it perceives a threat to its"territorial integrity, political independence or security".

It has already been reported that traffic at Vilnius Airport was disrupted four times last week due to smugglers' balloons, and five times in October in total. At Kaunas Airport, takeoffs and landings were also disrupted on the night of Friday to Saturday due to balloons.

After Lithuania closed some border checkpoints with Belarus, built a physical fence along the border, and tightened border security, weather balloons have become one of the most common methods of smuggling tobacco products.