Lithuania and Belarus are arguing over the border. What you need to know

A dispute continues between Minsk and Vilnius over the unilateral closure of the border established by the Lithuanian government. As a result of this decision, more than a thousand heavy trucks were blocked in Belarus, for the protection of which carriers are now forced to pay. Truck owners have threatened Lithuania with protests and mass dismissals of drivers. How the conflict develops is in the Izvestia material.

How the conflict began

• The closure of the border between Belarus and Lithuania was preceded by a series of incidents involving weather balloons. The Lithuanian side reported that its airspace was repeatedly violated by incoming balloons, which were also carriers of contraband goods. Similar cases have been reported periodically in Vilnius since September 2024, when a balloon with 20 kg of cigarettes fell on the territory of the republic.

• There have been especially many complaints about flying balloons since the end of October. For this reason, the authorities closed Vilnius Airport for several days. The Myadininkai and Shalchininkai checkpoints were also closed several times without warning, leading to queues for heavy-duty transport drivers en route to Lithuania. The Belarusian State Customs Committee noted that the waits at the border are stretched for a day because of this.

• As a result, the Lithuanian government decided to close the border with Belarus for a month, with restrictions in effect until November 30. The Shalchininkai crossing was completely closed, and diplomats, transit cargo to the Kaliningrad Region, citizens of Lithuania, the European Union and NATO countries, as well as their family members were allowed to pass through Myadininkai. At the same time, Lithuania has not made official claims against Belarus and has not set conditions for the opening of the border.

• Even before the closure of the border with Belarus, Lithuania began to place engineering structures on the roads along it — the so-called "dragon's teeth. In Vilnius, they called their installation part of the construction of the future Baltic defense line directed against Belarus and Russia. Concrete pyramids were placed directly on the road near the closed border posts, and in places accessible for rapid deployment near those operating at that time.

What did the closure lead to?

• Shortly after the border was completely closed, it became known that hundreds of Lithuanian trucks were stuck in Belarus, which now cannot return home. Some of them tried to leave the country through the border points with Latvia and Poland, but long queues formed there. In addition, many trucks were designed specifically to cross the border with Lithuania, which is why they cannot leave through other countries.

• The Lithuanian LINAVA Carrier Association reacted sharply to the situation. At a meeting with local authorities, she said that thousands of Lithuanian drivers were blocked in Belarus. This disrupts the work of the entire logistics industry of the Baltic Republic, leading to mass layoffs and reductions in tax deductions. LINAVA pointed out that Poland and Latvia ensure uninterrupted cargo transportation from Belarus, and warned that if the Lithuanian government does not achieve the same, protests will begin in the country.

• Belarus responded by banning the movement of trucks from the European Union, trailers from Poland and Lithuania, as well as Polish passenger cars if they are involved in the transportation of goods. The restrictions are valid until December 31, 2027. The decision affected about 5,000 Lithuanian trucks located throughout Belarus.

How Lithuania is trying to fix the situation

• In early November, Lithuania acknowledged that balloon flights had stopped, but did not reverse the decision to close the border. Vilnius has asked Minsk to open the checkpoint once so that Lithuanian trucks can pass through it. In Belarus, this proposal was rejected, offering to completely open the border and restore the work of all six border crossings. The country's Foreign Minister, Maxim Ryzhenkov, pointed out that Lithuania was only trying to score political points and present itself as a defender against its eastern neighbors in front of the European Union.

Trucks go gloomy: what is happening on the border of Belarus and Lithuania

Vilnius has blocked border crossings, but demands concessions from Minsk.

• After the situation was not resolved in the first days, the Belarusian authorities decided to place 1.2 thousand Lithuanian trucks accumulated at the border near the Kotlovka checkpoint and put them on guard. President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko noted that the protection of one truck will cost 120 euros per day. In case of refusal to place the truck in the parking lot, the car may be confiscated. At the same time, the drivers were given the opportunity to leave the territory of Belarus unhindered.

• The next step on the part of Vilnius did not bring the situation closer to its resolution. Prime Minister Inga Ruginene said that Poland, Latvia and Estonia will show solidarity with Lithuania. On the part of Warsaw, this will be reflected in the decision to postpone plans to open two of its own border crossings, which were supposed to be launched in the near future. However, on November 14, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that he would still open the Kuznitsa and Bobrovniki points, bringing the number of working crossings to four.