Lithuania Considers Border Closure with Belarus
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda is considering the possibility of closing the border with Belarus if the security situation becomes highly tense due to the presence of Wagner Group mercenaries. He noted that Lithuania has already bolstered security measures on its borders following the deployment of Wagner Group units in Belarus, as reported by Bloomberg.
The President also emphasized that Lithuania, Poland, and Latvia are closely cooperating on this matter and discussing coordination of joint actions to counter potential threats from Belarus. Speaking after a meeting with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in the northeastern Polish city of Suwalki, Nauseda addressed the escalating tensions following the escape of Wagner soldiers to Belarus weeks after their attempted uprising against the Kremlin was suppressed.
This week, Poland announced the deployment of additional troops to its eastern border, and a senior official called for "complete isolation" in response to what Warsaw deemed airspace violations by Belarusian helicopters.
"There are about 4,000 Wagner militants in Belarus. This is an attempt by the Russians to test Poland and our allies' reaction. We respond very resolutely to these Russian and Belarusian provocations carried out through the Wagner Group," said Polish Prime Minister Morawiecki.
Suwalki is located on a narrow strip of Polish-Lithuanian border, almost equidistant between Belarus and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea. The 100-kilometer (62-mile) corridor has been identified by NATO officials as a potentially vulnerable point that separates the Baltic states from the rest of the military alliance and the European Union.
Nauseda, who mentioned that Wagner seeks to increase its troops to 10,000, reiterated recent warnings from Morawiecki that some militants were moving towards Grodno in Belarus, close to the Polish border. The Polish Prime Minister also claimed, without providing evidence, that Wagner mercenaries might attempt to enter his country alongside illegal migrants.
Recently, the Polish Prime Minister officially announced the movement of 100 "Wagnerites" towards the so-called Suwalki Corridor. Meanwhile, according to Nauseda, the Wagner Group has been stationed near the Lithuanian border in Belarus' Grodno region.