Lithuanian Interior Ministry Proposes Bill To Completely Close Border With Belarus

• 8.04.2025, 11:36

Due to increased attacks on border guards.

Lithuanian Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovičius announced the preparation of a bill that would allow the country's authorities to completely close the border with Belarus at one time. In this way, Lithuanian legislators decided to prepare their legal framework for an “emergency response” to situations on the border, in particular, when the situation with illegal migrants worsens.

The head of the Lithuanian Interior Ministry spoke about the new legislative act on the local LRT television channel. According to him, changes to the legislation were required due to the emergence of such a phenomenon as “instrumental” or “armed migration”, when illegal immigrants storm border fences not with bare hands, but armed with tools for dismantling or damaging them, as well as increased attacks on border guards.

According to Kondratovičius, no such incidents have been recorded on the Lithuanian section of the border with Belarus so far, but he did not rule them out in the future.

“A very large migration package is currently being prepared, which may include certain changes related to, say, the possible closure of borders, as Finland or Poland are doing now. We are currently looking at and analyzing the practice of these two countries, when such incidents, attacks on border guards, will occur again, whether it is possible, using the decision of, say, the Government, to introduce certain restrictions on accepting asylum applications,” the minister explained.

Kondratovičius called the “instrumentalization” of migration “an element of hybrid warfare” and stated that, although “the situation is calm” on the border with Belarus now, the country’s authorities “must constantly maintain vigilance and control.”