Lithuania has reopened two border crossing points with Belarus ahead of schedule

Photo: lrv.lt

The Lithuanian government has decided to reopen car traffic through the Šalčininkai and Medininkai border crossing points in the early hours of 20 November — ten days ahead of the original schedule. The Cabinet annulled the resolution of 29 October that restricted movement, reports lrv.lt.

The National Security Commission reported on 18 November that internal security risks had decreased. Authorities note a significant drop in airborne smuggling and reduced threats to civil aviation. Vilnius Airport was last closed eight days ago, according to Reuters.

Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė stressed that the safety of residents remains the government’s top priority. She noted that security services have achieved substantial results in suppressing violations. Belarus also has all the tools needed to prevent such crimes on its territory. “Circumstances have changed, and restrictions on crossing the state border are no longer necessary to ensure internal security,” said Lithuanian Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovič.

Belarusian authorities said they had received official notification from Lithuania that the two border crossings will reopen on Thursday at 01:00 Minsk time (22:00 GMT). The country’s border service is ready to resume the movement of people and vehicles. The two states share a total of six border crossing points.



The restrictions were initially set to remain in place until 30 November. At the end of October, the situation on the border escalated. The trigger was a series of incidents involving airborne balloons used to transport boxes of cigarettes wrapped in tape. Such “cargo” was detected not only near the border but also close to the airports of Vilnius and Kaunas. Over several days, traffic through Medininkai and Šalčininkai had to be suspended five times, prompting emergency measures.

On 29 October, the Lithuanian Cabinet convened an extraordinary meeting and decided to fully close Šalčininkai and sharply restrict Medininkai until midnight on 30 November. Exceptions applied only to diplomats and diplomatic mail couriers, transit to and from the Kaliningrad region, citizens of Lithuania and the EU, and holders of Lithuanian or EU residence permits or humanitarian visas. This became another step in a series of restrictions: border crossings at Šumskas and Tverečius were closed in 2023, and Lavoriškės and Raigardas in 2024. By the end of October, the border was effectively sealed.

Lithuanian authorities stressed that the balloons were viewed as an element of hybrid pressure. Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė spoke of targeted attacks against the European Union, while President Gitanas Nausėda urged the extension of restrictions and limitations on transit to Kaliningrad. Brussels expressed solidarity with Lithuania: EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Belarus must immediately bring its airspace and territory under control and curb state-sponsored smuggling. Minsk called Vilnius’ decision unfriendly and ill-considered, describing the border closure as part of a “war” the EU is allegedly waging against Belarus and China.



In early November, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko instructed the foreign minister “to organise negotiations on normalising the situation and restoring the full functioning of border crossing points.” Lithuania stated it would refuse such meetings. Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys emphasised that the border would reopen only after the cessation of smugglers’ balloon flights, noting that around 1,000 Lithuanian trucks had been stuck in Belarus since the closure.

The early reopening marks a notable shift in Lithuania’s policy. Some conditions have now been reverted to the regime in place before 30 October. Only car traffic is allowed through Šalčininkai and Medininkai. The authorities also retain the right to temporarily halt movement if there is reason to believe migration flows are being artificially organised or facilitated by neighbouring states.

Poland this week also reopened two crossings — Bobrowniki–Berestovitsa and Kuźnica–Bruzgi. They were closed in September during major military exercises by Belarus and Russia, and the restrictions were later extended in solidarity with Lithuania. Limitations remain in place: in particular, bus services have not resumed.