Following Poland’s announcement last week regarding plans to deploy 2,000 additional troops to reinforce security on its eastern border with Belarus, Lithuania also sent supplementary forces to its Belarusian border. Lithuania and Poland have taken security enhancement measures after Belarus welcomed fighters from the Russian mercenary group Wagner. Lithuania also plans to close two of its six checkpoints on its border with Belarus.
Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya says she understands Lithuania’s concerns as Vilnius considers closing down the border with Belarus, but asks the country to leave a humanitarian corridor for Belarusians fleeing the Minsk regime’s repressions.
“We understand the danger that Belarus’ regime poses to Lithuania, because they will continue to send agents to discredit Belarusians, to antagonise us, to change the relationship between Lithuanians and Belarusians, and to make Lithuanians see us as a threat, rather than as those who oppose the regime,” she told journalists in Vilnius. The Belarusian opposition leader, who has been operating from Vilnius since 2020, said she conveyed the position of her compatriots that “one should not put an equal sign between Russians and Belarusians” and stressed that the prospect of European integration provides a counterbalance to the “Russian world” in Belarus. “I am grateful to Lithuanians that they have saved so many lives and have taken in so many people, and to cross all that out now” would be unfortunate, Tsikhanouskaya told reporters. “I offered our help in tightening checks. But the humanitarian corridor, the possibility for Belarusians fleeing repression to leave – this cannot be stopped,” she said.
Lithuania is planning to close two of its six checkpoints on the border with Belarus as of August 15, with the final decision yet to be taken by the cabinet. Lithuanian politicians and officials claim that some of the group’s mercenaries may enter Lithuania and carry out provocations.
Yet Lithuania’s plans to close down the Šumskas checkpoint on its border with Belarus is causing frustration and concern among travellers. As Lithuania prepares to shut this checkpoint, people travelling to Belarus will need to explore alternative border crossing points and will potentially face longer waiting times, along with buses and trucks. The change would affect travellers from further regions as well as locals close to the Lithuanian-Belarusian border, who frequently visit duty-free shops on the Belarusian side. Also, certain medications are less expensive in Belarus for example, 1.5 euros there, and 10-12 euros in Lithuania, a significant difference for pensioners. In the first half of this year alone, 230,000 Lithuanians travelled to Belarus. Since Minsk introduced a visa-free policy in April 2022, the flow of Lithuanian visitors increased, despite the government’s advice against travelling to the neighbouring country.
The Lithuanian government is set to close the Šumskas and Tverečius border checkpoints. The remaining four are currently mainly used by freight transport.
According to the State Border Guard Service (VSAT), there were instances of Lithuanian citizens crossing the border being taken aside for questioning on the Belarusian side, being asked about their views on Belarus and Russia’s role in the war in Ukraine. Their electronic devices and social media activities also come under scrutiny, according to Lithuanian officials. These actions are believed to be carried out by unidentified individuals, possibly affiliated with the KGB. Some Lithuanians deny such allegations, others call the situation “utter chaos”.
