Lithuania announces the closure of its borders with Belarus for a month
Lithuania announced the closure of its border with Belarus for a month in response to the entry of balloons carrying smuggled cigarettes from Belarus, which Vilnius and the European Union described as a “hybrid attack”.
According to the Lithuanian Airports Company, 142 flights and more than 20,000 passengers were affected by the recent temporary closure of Vilnius and Kaunas airports, which resulted from Dozens of balloons flew over Lithuanian territory, as reported by the newspaper “Le Figaro”. French, today, Thursday.
Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Rugeneni told reporters, “A decision has been made to close the border between Lithuania and Belarus for a month.” Until November 30, adding that this measure can be extended. She stressed, “We cannot remain silent in the face of a hybrid attack against Lithuania.” Lithuanian Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratović described the closure as “a clear message to our unfriendly neighbor, who is making no effort to solve the problem.”
The border closure will mainly affect thousands of Belarusian workers who regularly move between the two countries, but Lithuanian companies that continue to work with Belarus will also be affected, according to the Prime Minister. Vilnius announced earlier this week that the Lithuanian army would shoot down any balloons entering its territory illegally.
In response, Minsk called on Lithuania to first search for smugglers’ partners within its borders. A statement issued by the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said, “Lithuanian politicians decided to exploit the situation and place the blame entirely on Belarus, covering up their inability (or unwillingness?) to find those dealing with the smugglers.” inside their country. Lithuania received support from several European capitals, as well as from the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who described the matter as a “hybrid threat.”
The European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs called on Minsk to commit to stopping these “provocative actions.” A statement issued in Brussels said, “We call on the Belarusian regime to take effective measures without delay to control its airspace, borders, and territories, and to combat organized criminal activities.”
Lithuanian officials confirmed that passenger and freight rail traffic between Belarus and the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad via Lithuania will not be affected by the announced changes.
Exceptions to the measure are also planned. The new law, in particular for citizens of European Union and NATO countries traveling to Lithuania, for holders of Lithuanian residence permits, and for people transiting to and from the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea coast. Kondratovich stressed that border guards will also make individual decisions in “humanitarian situations.”
Last September, neighboring Poland temporarily closed its border with Belarus while it hosted joint military exercises
with Russia. Only some border crossings were opened later.
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