Lithuania’s plans to close down the Šumskas checkpoint on its border with Belarus is causing frustration and concern among travellers.
On past Saturday’s sunny morning, numerous vehicles, including with families and children onboard, were waiting in line at the Šumskas border checkpoint nestled amid picturesque forests.
As Lithuania prepares to shut this checkpoint in the upcoming week, people traveling to Belarus will need to explore alternative border crossing points and will potentially face longer waiting times, especially alongside bus and lorry drivers.
This imminent change not only affects travellers from further regions but also casts a shadow on the lives of locals residing in proximity to the Lithuanian-Belarusian border. For many of them, their trips abroad often encompassed visits to the duty-free shops on the Belarusian side, sometimes even multiple times a day.
Jadvyga, 73, a resident of Kalveliai, a village situated eight kilometres from the Šumskas border checkpoint, also voices her concern, since she regularly goes to Belarus to get her medication.
“They sell this medicine for 1.5 euros there, while it costs 10-12 euros here. For a pensioner, it’s a significant difference. I purchase it, turn around, and return,” she said.
‘Don’t go to Belarus, you may never come back’
Jadvyga is one of the 230,000 Lithuanians who travelled to Belarus in the first half of this year alone.
For many, the trips are not just about cost savings. Since Minsk introduced a visa-free policy in April 2022, the flows 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, two out of six on its border with Belarus, later this week. The remaining four are currently mainly used by freight transport. The decision is expected to come into force on Friday.
Red signs near the border checkpoints have been installed, ominously saying “Don’t risk your safety, don’t go to Belarus, you may never come back”.
The State Border Guard Service (VSAT) have said there were instances of Lithuanian citizens being taken to a separate room for questioning on the Belarusian side. The Lithuanians get 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 the Lithuanian officials. These actions are believed to be carried out by unidentified individuals, possibly affiliated with the KGB.
Government accused of lying
Among Lithuanians, emotions regarding the impending restrictions range between anger and frustration.
Sergei, a construction worker who undertakes monthly shopping trips to Belarus, dismisses the Lithuanian authorities’ warnings, insisting that he has never encountered the situations they describe.
“Do you like being deceived? I don’t, and that’s what this is. What can really happen there? It’s baseless, and frankly, quite ridiculous to me,” he said from the line of cars at the Šumskas border checkpoint. “It would better to foster amicable relations with our neighbours, yet we appear to be fostering confrontation without reason. Who gains from this?”
Violeta Portasovič, a Vilnius resident who frequently travels to Astravyets with her Belarusian husband to visit his family, called the situation “utter chaos”.
“It’s ordinary people who will bear the brunt. How can we endorse it when we are the ones suffering?” she lamented.
Jadvyga, who travels to Belarus o buy medicines, opts to remain detached from political matters. “I stay uninvolved and keep my opinions to myself. There’s no point in getting into fistfight,” she says.
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