Lithuania and Latvia also boost Belarus-border security

The transfer was resulting from “geopolitical circumstances”, the Lithuanian authorities stated.

It was designed to assist focus the numbers of border guards on the remaining 4 crossing factors, Lithuania’s deputy transport minister Agnė Vaiciukeviciūte added.

Border-guard depart has been cancelled, with military and police being requested to assist, Lithuanian media additionally reported.

Lithuania has stopped some 1,540 irregular migrants coming by way of Belarus thus far this yr.

It has erected indicators on its facet of the border saying: “Don’t danger your security — don’t journey to Belarus. Chances are you’ll fail to come back again”.

And the nation’s border-guard chief, Rustamas Liubajevas, estimated the Russian Wagner mercenary group has stationed as much as 4,500 fighters in Belarus bases close to its frontiers with EU and Nato neighbours.

Lithuania’s transfer got here at some point after Latvia stated it was sending troopers to the Belarus border resulting from “details about a attainable enhance in hybrid threats”.

Nearly 100 migrants had tried to cross within the 24 hours earlier than the announcement on Tuesday, Latvia stated.

“We’ve got seen that this summer time the stress from Belarus shouldn’t be reducing, however steadily rising,” Latvian prime minister Krišjānis Kariņš stated.

“We’re merely rising our presence and sending a transparent sign to each our personal society and the Belarusian authorities that that is no joke,” he added.

Poland, final week, stated it was sending 10,000 troopers to the Belarus border for related causes.

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For its half, the Belarus border-guard service complained about Lithuania’s crossing-point closures.

“With these selections, the Lithuanian facet is purposefully and intentionally establishing synthetic obstacles on the border to serve its political ambitions”, it stated in a press release.

Belarus flew in 1000’s of African and Center Jap migrants and compelled them throughout the border into EU international locations in summer time 2021 in a “hybrid” revenge in opposition to Western sanctions.

However even after the 2021 disaster abated, there have been nonetheless 16,000 tried irregular crossings into Poland final yr and 19,000 thus far this yr.

The Wagner group partly relocated to Belarus after its chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, mutinied in opposition to the Russian military in June.

Each Prigozhin and Wagner’s future stay unsure, however Wagner’s fight items and political-spin departments in Africa have continued to function for the reason that rebel.

It has additionally educated Belarusian troopers and registered as “an academic organisation” within the Asipovichy district within the japanese Belarusian area of Mahilyou.

And the Prighozin and Wagner-linked Harmony Administration and Consulting firm has registered in the identical spot, indicating that the Russians have come to remain.