Lithuania to close two crossings at border with Belarus next week

February 21, Pozirk. The Lithuanian government has decided to close the Lavoriškės and Raigardas crossings at the border with Belarus on March 1, LRT reported.

Only two of six checkpoints, Medininkai and Šalčininkai, will remain operational at the shared border.

In August 2023, Lithuania closed Šumskas and Tverečius.

The ministers also supported a proposal to restrict the boarding and deboarding of passengers at the Kena railway border crossing in order to solve the issue of passengers on transit trains to Russia’s Kaliningrad deboarding in Lithuania.

In addition, the government decided to suspend the movement of pedestrians and cyclists through the Medininkai and Šalčininkai checkpoints and to gradually reduce the number of permits issued to Belarusian and Lithuanian carriers operating interstate passenger bus services.

Lithuanian officials cited national security, smuggling and international sanctions as the reason.