Is Lithuania to blame, not Belarus?
The decision to close the border crossings between Lithuania and Belarus has sparked a furious reaction from Russian and Belarusian propagandists. Regime mouthpieces accuse Lithuania and the NATO alliance of seeking not only to isolate Belarus but also to occupy the Kaliningrad region, an enclave belonging to Russia.
"No evidence has been provided that drones or contraband weather balloons were launched from Belarus. Nevertheless, Lithuania is being urged to take more radical measures due to the escalation of tensions in the region," writes the Grodnenskaya Pravda publication, quoted by Radio Liberty.
Regional news channel Ošmeski vestnik called the Lithuanian government's decision to restrict the work of border checkpoints an "absurd spectacle." The Belarusian propaganda channel tried to quote alleged or real interlocutors, although a Delfi journalist did not see a single person waiting in line at the Medininkai border checkpoint on Monday afternoon. A dozen or so trucks were parked, and occasionally one or two passenger cars crossed the border.
The drivers interviewed mentioned that citizens of European Union countries, as well as Belarusians with the right to reside here, are allowed into Lithuania.
Uzbek man found waiting in line at border for 22 days
However, propagandists dramatize the situation, saying that many people are stuck at the border. “The neighboring side does not care about the age and condition of people who have become hostages of a hopeless situation. Even queues have become the norm for citizens. The worst thing is the uncertainty: will the border be opened and when,” the publication writes. “What are we to blame for? Even if we believe that the story about the violation of airspace with “cigarette balloons” is true, how are we related to this?” – “Oshmeskij vestnik” quotes people waiting at the border with Lithuania.
The propaganda publication tried to accuse Lithuania of the alleged"genocide" of truck drivers, quoting an Uzbek who was stuck at the border for 22 days."I think the Lithuanians are to blame here. I don't see the fault of the Belarusians, they work normally. I arrived, they quickly sorted out the documents, and now we are waiting. The Lithuanians are slow. I have been waiting for 22 days, only 10 trucks pass through per day," the publication quotes a driver from Uzbekistan.
Naturally, propagandists tried to praise their regime and blame Lithuania for the difficulties that arose.
"I came to visit my brother. I really liked Belarus. [...] I don't know why the Lithuanians closed the border. I think it's a decision from above. It's just a shame that we, ordinary people, have to suffer," Ošmeskij vestnik journalists quote Maria, who is traveling from Estonia.
Balloons, just a pretext: NATO is preparing to occupy the Kaliningrad region
The media controlled by the Belarusian regime treats the partial closure of the border with Lithuania as an aggression by European countries and NATO, and talks about alleged plans to isolate and annex the Kaliningrad region.
"The expulsion of Russia from East Prussia has been in the making for a long time: such a scenario was discussed in the fall of 2022 by the Commander-in-Chief of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Valdemaras Rupšys and the Chief of the Polish General Staff Raimundas Andżejczak. Using exercises, the NATO alliance is constantly rehearsing scenarios for occupying Russian territories in this region," the publication states.
Lithuania is also accused of blocking the Kaliningrad region by closing the railway leading to it from Belarus through Lithuania.
The publication ends with a conspiracy theory. It is said that this year Western countries planned to escalate military actions in the Suwalki Corridor region, but due to the opposition of Lithuania and Poland to these plans, a military conflict has been avoided for now.
