January 1, US Advises Citizens to Leave This Country ASAP

In light of the escalating tensions in the region, the Biden administration has strongly recommended U.S. citizens currently in Belarus to leave the country at the earliest and dissuaded any further travel to the nation.

This security directive is a response to heightened border securities in the neighboring countries of Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland.

These countries are particularly alarmed due to the presence of Russian Wagner mercenary forces who are now stationed in Belarus.

The U.S. State Department, emphasizing the gravity of the situation, has designated Belarus as a Level 4 risk zone. This is the most severe security warning that can be issued.

Alexander Lukashenko, who has governed Belarus for an extended period and often referred to as the ‘last dictator in Europe’, has played a significant role in aiding Russian President Vladimir Putin’s military actions in Ukraine.

Lukashenko is presently under multiple U.S. sanctions. These sanctions were imposed following his alleged human rights violations and the political suppression of Belarusians who opposed his claimed 2020 election win.

The fact that Lukashenko, in an agreement with Putin, has allowed the Wagner forces in Belarus – especially after their brief insurrection against the Kremlin – has understandably stirred anxieties among NATO countries sharing borders with Belarus.

The State Department’s advisory elaborated, “Do not travel to Belarus due to Belarusian authorities’ continued facilitation of Russia’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine, the buildup of Russian military forces in Belarus, the arbitrary enforcement of local laws, the potential of civil unrest, the risk of detention, and the Embassy’s limited ability to assist U.S. citizens residing in or traveling to Belarus.”

Worth noting, post the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which saw Russian forces penetrating from Belarusian grounds, the U.S. Embassy in Minsk ceased its operations on February 28, 2022. Currently, the U.S. Belarus Affairs Unit operates from Vilnius, Lithuania.

A representative from the State Department mentioned that tracking the exact number of American citizens in any specific country is challenging. This is primarily because U.S. citizens aren’t mandated to report their travel activities to the government.

They elaborated, “Our embassies overseas compile rough estimates of U.S. citizens in their countries for contingency planning purposes, but these estimates can vary and are constantly changing. We do not want to publish figures that cannot be considered authoritative.”

In recent developments, Lithuania shut down two of its six border crossings with Belarus.

The State Department is advising Americans to utilize the still-operational border crossings, especially since Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia have indicated potential additional closures.

Currently, only one border crossing remains open between Poland and Belarus, whereas Latvia has kept two crossings functional. Both Poland and Latvia have beefed up their military presence at these borders.

Moreover, they accuse Lukashenko of exploiting migrants from Middle Eastern nations by transporting them to Belarus and then pushing them across the borders.

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