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WorldTwo Belarus border crossings shut down by Lithuania

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Two Belarus border crossings shut down by Lithuania

Two of Lithuania’s six border crossings with Belarus will be closed.

Starting on Friday, there won’t be any commercial vehicle traffic at the two remote crossing sites.

The administration claimed that the decision was made in reaction to smuggling, threats to national security, and changes in the geopolitical environment.

Since Minsk provided shelter to fighters from Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, Belarus’ western neighbours have tightened security.

This was a provision of a deal Wagner made to put a stop to a brief mutiny in Russia in June.

The Tverecius and Sumskas crossings will be blocked, according to the Lithuanian government, and traffic will be redirected to Medininkai, one of its six checkpoints.

The closures were just temporary, according to deputy minister of transport Agn Vaiciukeviciute, who spoke to the Associated Press.

Additionally, Poland has severely restricted entry from Belarus, and on Tuesday, Latvia ordered border reinforcements.

For the benefit of both his own citizens and the rest of Europe, Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karin said Belarus needed to understand that his nation was serious about defending its borders.

This summer, we have observed that Belarus has been exerting growing pressure rather than lessening, according to Mr. Karin.

“We are merely stepping up our presence and making it abundantly clear to both our own society and the Belarusian government that this is no joke,” the group stated.

Following an alleged invasion by Belarusian military helicopters, Poland declared last week that it was deploying 10,000 additional troops to its border with Belarus.

After Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki warned that Wagner militants could pose as migrants and enter the EU, Belarus’ government has pledged to help protect against mercenaries from Russia’s Wagner group who have moved there.

Since June, when Wagner’s mutiny questioned President Vladimir Putin’s authority, worries have grown among Belarus’ neighbours. Belarus is a staunch ally of Russia.

A compromise put an end to a 24-hour uprising that saw the troops seize Rostov in southern Russia and advance on Moscow before stopping their advance barely 200 kilometres (124 miles) from the capital.

According to the deal, Wagner fighters had the option of joining the regular Russian army or relocating to Belarus.

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