What did 21 August 2020 look like across the region?

What was happening on the borders of Central and Eastern Europe on 21 August 2020? Two stories stood out: a public health measure announced in Hungary, and a political crisis in Belarus that had dominated the preceding week.

On 21 August 2020, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on state radio that Hungary would tighten its border crossing rules from 1 September. The aim, he said, was to prevent the spread of COVID-19, as the number of new infections was rising in neighbouring countries.

The Belarus crisis in the background

In the days before, attention across the region had turned to Belarus and its contested presidential election. On 15 August 2020, President Alexander Lukashenko appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying the protests were no longer a threat to Belarus alone. Statements from both sides made a pointed reference to the Union State between the two countries. The same day, opposition candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who was in exile in Lithuania, called for more protests.

On 16 August 2020, Lukashenko addressed supporters in Independence Square in Minsk. He claimed that Belarus would die as a state if new elections were held, and accused NATO of massing on the border. Opposition critics said most of those at the rally had been coerced into attending and bussed in from other parts of the country.

On 18 August 2020, Lithuanian MPs approved economic sanctions against Belarus over the disputed election. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevičius said his country was sending a strong message to the world and refused to recognise Lukashenko as president.

A region watching its borders

Taken together, the reports from those days show borders in focus for different reasons: Budapest restricting crossings because of rising infection numbers, and Vilnius using sanctions and non-recognition in response to events in Minsk.