The Lithuanian government on Wednesday allowed officers to use special ammunition and projectiles to take down weather balloons, drones, and other flying objects.
Officers will be able to use special ammunition and projectiles against unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and autonomously or remotely piloted objects moving through the air, on land and water surfaces, or underwater.
They will be authorised to use drones, vehicles, demining robots, or other devices to deploy special ammunition and projectiles.
Special ammunition and projectiles are defined as those fired from firearms or propelled by special devices, consisting of one or more pellets or containers filled with gas, paint, or other substances designed to affect a target.
This measure will also apply when forcibly stopping a vehicle, where there is an imminent risk to the life, health, or property of an officer or another person.
The parliament last November amended the law to allow officers to take down weather balloons, drones, and other flying objects.
The Interior Ministry initiated the legislative changes in response to incidents involving the landing of weather balloons with contraband at Vilnius Airport and in military areas.
Since last August, Lithuania has seen an increase in cases of illegal cigarettes being smuggled into the country from Belarus by attaching cargo and GPS devices to weather balloons. Carried by the wind, the balloon crosses the border and lands after a while, and local smugglers use the GPS signal to locate the dropped cargo.
From Tuesday night to Wednesday morning, border guards intercepted nine weather balloons carrying cigarettes from Belarus.
These were the first weather balloons with contraband to arrive from Belarus this year. A total of 226 such balloons were recorded last year, including 56 in December.
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