What Belarus's border closure with Ukraine meant by 5 July 2021
A look back at the border dispute and the Lithuanian emergency declared in the days before 5 July 2021.
What was the situation on Belarus's borders by 5 July 2021? Reports from 2 July 2021 showed tension along two frontiers at once.
On 2 July, Belarus closed its border with Ukraine. President Alexander Lukashenko claimed that arms were being smuggled into the country in an attempt by "outside powers" to overthrow his regime. He said they had crossed the line and could not be forgiven.
Ukraine denied the claims. It also said that closing the border would make its people suffer.
The same day, Lithuania declared a state of emergency amid a rise in the number of undocumented migrants crossing from Belarus. The Government of Lithuania accused Lukashenko of deliberately trying to destabilise the country by encouraging and allowing refugees, mostly Syrians, to cross the border.
By 5 July 2021, then, Belarus was at odds with a neighbour on each side. Ukraine rejected the accusation of arms smuggling, while Lithuania blamed Minsk for the migrant flows.
