The Lithuanian government announced the closure of the border with Belarus.
The decision to close the border was taken at a special meeting of the Lithuanian government. The checkpoint in Medininkai will be closed with some exceptions, while the checkpoint in Šalčininkiai – completely. The only exception will be diplomatic cars, which will be allowed through the checkpoint in Medininkai.
The ban will be in effect until 30 November, with the possibility of extension, reports LRT TV channel.
Border crossings are closed due to the movement of smuggled balloons into Lithuania from Belarus, forcing airports to limit their operations. It is believed to be a means of pressurising Belarus.
“These changes should be a real signal to our, as we see today, not very friendly neighbour who makes no effort to solve the problem. Their inaction means that they actually participate in this activity together,” said Lithuanian Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovicius.
Border crossings are closed from time to time due to the arrival of air meteors from Belarus to Lithuania. In particular, in the evening, 26 October, the checkpoints “Šalčininkiai” and “Medininkai” were closed.
Due to weather conditions, Lithuanian airports stopped working four times last week. Dozens of flights were postponed and diverted, affecting several thousand passengers.
Earlier, some Lithuanian politicians said that Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s regime, launching balloons, has several goals: one of them is to put pressure on the Lithuanian government, the second is smuggling, on which a lot of money can be made.