Three weeks later, the first vehicle entered the Benyakoni checkpoint, the press service of the State Border Committee of Belarus reported.
The Lithuanian government decided at its 19 November meeting to reopen two checkpoints on the border with Belarus ahead of schedule. Previously, Benyakoni–Šalčininkai and Kamenny Loh–Miedininkai had been closed until 30 November. Under the new government decision, the checkpoints will resume operations on Thursday, 20 November, from 00:00 Vilnius time (01:00 Minsk time).
The checkpoints were closed because of contraband-carrying balloons, which had forced Lithuanian airports to halt operations. Lithuanian authorities accused the Minsk regime of hybrid attacks and demanded an end to provocations. The government announced the decision to close the border until 30 November on 29 October. In response, Lukashenko ordered Lithuanian trucks not to be allowed to leave Belarus.
At present, six checkpoints operate on the border with the European Union: four on the border with Poland, two with Lithuania, and one with Latvia.