(TruthAndLiberty.com) – On Monday the U.S. Embassy in Belarus instructed all American citizens to exit Belarus immediately, while also issuing a travel warning advising Americans not to visit the country. The warning came only two days after Lithuania announced that they would be closing their border with Belarus following concerns that the Wagner, a Russian mercenary group, was operating in the country.
Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania have also stated that it is possible that further border closures might come. The U.S. State Department has long advised U.S. citizens not to travel to the country because Belarus is supporting Russia in the war against Ukraine. There is also a high number of Russian military forces located in Belarus which could increase the risks of detention as local laws are enforced arbitrarily.
In the new warning, the State Department noted that U.S. citizens needed to leave Belarus immediately either through the open border crossings in Latvia and Lithuania or by plane.
Wagner allegedly established a presence in Belarus following the group’s leader Yevgeny Prigozhin’s failed coup against the Russian government in late June. The deal the leader reached with the Kremlin required him to be exiled to Belarus, while those who had joined the group would also establish themselves in Belarus where they would help train the country’s military.
Belarus, which is a Russian ally, is bordering several NATO countries including Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland as well as Ukraine. Their border also includes the Suwalki Corridor, which is a 60-mile land strip that stretches along the Polish and Lithuanian border and connects the country to Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave.
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