Lithuanian Defense Minister Laurinas Kasciunas said that border guards may be given the authority to shoot down balloons carrying contraband crossing the Lithuanian border from Belarus or Russia. This was reported by LRT, according to UNN.
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The Minister of Internal Affairs has proposed measures to protect critical infrastructure, including the creation of mobile groups of Public Security Service officers. These groups, in his opinion, could be on duty near such facilities and carry weapons, including machine guns, to neutralize threats.
“Border guards should have the right to shoot in the air,” the minister said. He also added that it should not be the military's job to shoot down objects such as balloons carrying contraband. “This is a matter of combating smuggling, and in peacetime, the use of weapons by the military is a very sensitive topic,” he emphasized.
Kasciunas emphasized that if explosives were found on the balloons, it would change the approach, but for now it is only smuggling. He called the situation a “gray area” and pointed out the need to find solutions to combat hybrid threats without involving the army.
SOGGL commander Rustam Lyubayev noted that border guards have neither weapons nor authority to shoot down objects, such as balloons, that illegally cross the border. He has already asked the Interior Ministry to change the law so that border guards can use firearms in such cases.