Lithuania closes two crossings on Belarusian border, citing threat posed by Wagner Group

On August 18, Lithuania will temporarily close two crossing points on its border with Belarus, Deputy Transportation and Communications Minister Agnė Vaiciukevičiūtė said Wednesday. The closures will leave four open crossing points between the two countries.

According to the Lithuanian authorities, the measure is a response to the growing threat posed by Wagner Group, which relocated to Belarus after Yevgeny Prigozhin’s rebellion in Russia. The Lithuanian and Polish authorities have said there are more than 4,000 Wagner mercenaries in Belarus and that half of them are near the Lithuanian and Polish borders.

The Belarusian State Border Committee called Lithuania’s decision “another unconstructive and unfriendly step” that will negatively impact tourism and cargo traffic.