The U.S. Embassy in Belarus has issued an alert warning on Monday that Americans should depart the country immediately.
Belarus has aided Russia in its 18-month war in Ukraine, which has pitted Minsk in opposition of the West, including its neighbors.
UP FOR DEBATE: TRUMP, DESANTIS, AND 2024 GOP HOPEFULS' STANCE ON AI
"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," a statement from the U.S. Embassy in Minsk said.
Of Belarus’s neighbors, U.S. citizens are not permitted to enter Poland overland from Belarus and are advised not to enter Russia or Ukraine, which leaves Lithuania and Latvia. The Lithuanian government closed two border crossings days ago, while four more remain open, though the Polish, Lithuanian, and Latvian governments have said additional border crossing closings could happen.
The State Department has four travel advisories: 1. exercise normal precautions; 2. exercise increased caution; 3. reconsider travel; and 4. do not travel. Belarus is listed in the fourth category.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Shortly after the war began, the State Department ordered the departure of U.S. government employees and the suspension of operations of the U.S. Embassy in Minsk while it suspended all consular services, routine and emergency. Should an American decide to travel to Belarus despite the warnings, the State Department advises that the person “have a contingency plan in place that does not rely on U.S. government assistance.”
The Wagner Group, a Russian paramilitary organization led by a former close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has relocated, to some extent, to Belarus given its short-lived attempted mutiny earlier this summer, which likely contributed to Lithuania's decision to close two of the border crossings with Belarus.