Jabar Ekspres – The United States on Monday (Aug 21) called on its citizens to “immediately” leave Belarus, in part because of the country’s perceived continued support for Russia’s incursion into Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Lithuania has closed two of its six crossings into Russia-allied Belarus amid heightened tensions in the region.
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“Do not travel to Belarus as Belarusian authorities continue to facilitate Russia’s unprovoked incursion into Ukraine,” the US Embassy in Minsk said in a statement.
United States citizens are warned that there is an increased presence of Russian military forces in Belarus.
In addition, the embassy described law enforcement in Belarus as arbitrary.
US citizens were warned of the possibility of mass riots and arrests, as well as the embassy’s limited ability to assist US citizens living in Belarus or visiting the country.
The embassy urged US citizens in Belarus to leave the country through the borders with Lithuania and Latvia, or by plane.
“US citizens are not permitted to enter Poland from Belarus by road. Do not travel to Russia or Ukraine,” the statement read.
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The governments of Poland, Lithuania and Latvia have signaled that they will close more border crossings with Belarus, according to the statement.
Tensions between Belarus and Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia have been rising in recent weeks.
The rise in tensions is mainly due to the presence of the Wagner paramilitary group, which took refuge in Belarus after briefly rebelling against the Russian government in June.
