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On August 18th, Lithuania temporarily closed its Šumskas and Tverečius border checkpoints with Belarus. The decision comes amidst concerns over the presence of Russian Wagner mercenaries in Belarus. While the move is seen as a necessary measure to address new geopolitical threats, it has sparked anger among locals who frequently made cross-border trips for cheaper groceries, gas, and medicine.

Dalia Štraupaitė, the former mayor of Visaginas, a border town with a significant Russian-speaking community, emphasized the economic factors driving these cross-border trips. She suggested that reducing value-added tax for food could help minimize the need for such shopping trips. Many residents of Visaginas, apart from those working in the now-defunct Ignalina nuclear power plant, struggle to make ends meet due to rising utility bills and stagnant incomes.

Most Visaginas residents crossed the border through the Tverečius checkpoint in the Ignalina district. Belarusian authorities reported that 170,000 Lithuanians visited Belarus visa-free this year, with over 400,000 visits recorded since April 2022 when Belarus implemented a visa-free regime for Lithuanian, Latvian, and Polish citizens.

The closure of the Tverečius checkpoint has also affected residents of Tverečius and Didžiasalis villages, who relied on trips to Belarus for cheaper gas, groceries, and medicine. While people could only bring limited quantities of goods back with them, these trips became a livelihood for some.

The Lithuanian State Security Department and State Border Guard Service noted instances of Lithuanian citizens being questioned about their views on Belarus and Russia’s role in the conflict in Ukraine, as well as their electronic devices and social media activities. However, some residents, like Jonas Baltakis, a councilor representing The Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union in Ignalina, have not personally experienced such questioning.

With the closure of the checkpoints, the remaining four border checkpoints with Belarus will handle vehicle traffic and freight transportation. The largest and most technically equipped of these is the Medininkai checkpoint. Lithuania’s Interior Minister, Agne Bilotaitė, has also mentioned the possibility of a full border closure with Belarus, with discussions with the Baltic States and Poland scheduled for later this month in Warsaw.

Despite these restrictions, some residents remain undeterred and are willing to explore alternative border crossing points, even if it means longer waiting times. They argue that seeking cheaper goods is a natural and logical response.

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