On Friday, August 18, Lithuania closed two of its six border crossings with Belarus due to the security risk posed by the Russian mercenary Wagner paramilitary group.
"The Sumsko and Tvereciaus border crossings were closed at midnight," border police spokeswoman Lina Laurinaittte-Grigiene told AFP on August 18, adding that police would continue to install barbed wire fences in the area.
Officials in Vilnius said the decision would also help control smuggling, as the remaining four border crossings have X-ray systems to detect smuggled goods, mainly cigarettes.
In the first half of 2023, citizens of Lithuania crossed the border with Belarus 230.000 times.
But Vilnius warns that Minsk could try to recruit those travelers for espionage, exert psychological pressure or even blackmail them by checking their phones and social networks.
Relations between Lithuania and Belarus have been strained for years, but have further deteriorated following Belarus' 2020 presidential election, which has been criticized as rigged.
Belarus criticized the decision to close checkpoints, calling it "stretched".
"By making such decisions, Lithuania deliberately creates artificial barriers on the border to serve its political ambitions," Belarusian border services announced earlier.
This year, Poland closed all but one border crossing to Belarus due to the arrest of journalists of Polish origin and the expulsion of Polish diplomats.
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