On Tuesday, Lithuania's parliament adopted amendments allowing officers to shoot down drones and other flying objects. This follows a series of incidents involving weather balloons and drones carrying contraband from Belarus reaching as far as Vilnius.
Previously, Interior Vice Minister Vitalyij Dmitrijev said the amendments are aimed at curbing smuggling using aircraft, drones and weather balloons.
The amendments also allow institutions to set up no-fly zones within one kilometre of a critical infrastructure facility located in an urban area and within three kilometres if it’s in the countryside.
Further reading
A total of 351 weather balloons have been recorded entering Lithuania from Belarus this year, of which 138 were found and intercepted.
According to the State Border Guard Service (VSAT), the number of cases of smugglers using weather balloons has gone down significantly over the past three weeks.
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