What the Belarus border closure meant for Kyiv in July 2021
A look back at the reported border closure and the Lithuanian emergency that framed Ukraine's position in early July 2021.
What did Kyiv face on 5 July 2021, as tensions with Minsk deepened? The reports available from the days before that date point to a neighbour acting on several fronts at once.
On 2 July 2021, Belarus was reported to have closed its border with Ukraine. Belarusian 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, which framed the dispute as a matter affecting ordinary people on both sides, not only governments.
The same day, Lithuania declared a state of emergency amid a rise in undocumented migrants, mostly Syrians, crossing from Belarus. The Lithuanian government accused Lukashenko of deliberately trying to destabilise the country by encouraging and allowing the crossings.
The two episodes were separate, but both involved accusations from Minsk or against it, and both concerned the Belarusian border. For Ukraine, the immediate issue was a closed frontier and an allegation it rejected. As of 5 July 2021, the reports did not show how long the closure would last.
