The Lithuanian government on Wednesday decided to close the Tverečius and Šumskas checkpoints on the country’s border with Belarus as of Friday in response to the potential threats posed by the presence of Wagner mercenaries in Belarus.
With the two closures, four checkpoints on the border with Belarus – in Medininkai, Lavoriškės, Raigardas, and Šalčininkai – remain open.
According to the Transport Ministry’s resolution, the traffic from the two closed checkpoints will be redirected to Medininkai, which is the largest and the most technically equipped border checkpoint on Lithuania’s border with Belarus.
The decision to close the checkpoints follows increased threats caused by the relocation of some mercenaries of Russia’s Wagner group to Belarus, the government said. There are up to 4,500 Wagner mercenaries in Belarus right now, according to Lithuania’s State Border Guard Service (VSAT).
The possible closure of other checkpoints will be discussed with Latvia and Poland that also share a border with Belarus, Interior Minister Agnė Bilotaitė has said.
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