Lithuania closes two border crossings on the border with Belarus

The Lithuanian authorities are closing two of the six border crossings on the border with Belarus. The Lithuanian government explained its decision by “geopolitical circumstances”. These may include the placement of mercenaries of PMC “Wagner” in Belarus and the threat of increasing illegal migration.

Lithuanian checkpoints Shumskas (Losha) and Tveriachyus (Vidzy) will stop working on Friday, August 18.

The Minister of Internal Affairs of Lithuania, Agne Bilotaite, said that the government is considering other protection scenarios, up to the complete closure of the border with Belarus. She emphasized that such a step, if necessary, should be adopted by all countries of the region bordering Belarus – Lithuania, Latvia and Poland.

The head of the Belarusian border committee, Anton Bychkovsky, called the closing of the border crossings to Lithuania “another unfriendly step” and accused the Lithuanian authorities of “purposefully and deliberately creating artificial barriers at the border to satisfy political ambitions.”

Latvia is also taking measures to strengthen the protection of the border with Belarus. The Border Service of Latvia has announced the transition to an enhanced regime. The agency announced the growing number of requests for illegal border crossing and accused the Belarusian regime of trying to destabilize the situation.

To strengthen the border with Belarus, Poland is building additional defense structures there and increasing its military presence. The country intends to send to increase the number of border guards to 10 thousand. The government is concerned about the arrival in the border areas of hundreds of “Wagnerians” who were invited by Alexander Lukashenko, an ally of Russia.

• Mercenaries of PMC “Wagner” began to arrive in Belarus after the demand for rebellion in Russia at the end of June. The Belarusian authorities have announced that they will train the Belarusian military. Wagner soldiers arrive in Belarus without heavy armored vehicles. Their main camp is located in the Mogilev region.
• The other day, Belarusian authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko called his words as a joke that the Wagnerians in Belarus told him about their plans to “go on an excursion” to Poland. At the same time, Lukashenko expressed confidence that the Wagnerites could indeed attack Poland, and noted that only the Belarusian authorities would prevent them from doing so.