 Locals have expressed dismay after Lithuanian authorities closed the Smuskas border crossing with Belarus on August 18, citing security concerns related to Wagner group activities in the area. Maria, a villager, criticized the decision, stating that it hampers her access to a cemetery on the Belarusian side where her grandfather is buried. Others said that the closure has negative impacts on them, as they have relatives and business ties in Belarus. Another resident named Oleg supported the border closure, expressing worries about Wagner activities in the region. The Lithuanian government announced on Wednesday that it had decided to close two out of the country's six border crossing points with Belarus due to geopolitical circumstances. This decision came weeks after Russian Wagner group mercenaries sought refuge in the country. The situation is not good, but we have to keep our hands off the border. We have to keep our hands off the border, and everything is fine. We have to keep our hands off the border, so that we don't get caught in the traffic. On the one hand, I can tell you that people are suffering from this. We live here, we were born here, we have relatives. It is not convenient for us to deal with this. We have to keep our hands off the border, so that we don't get caught in the traffic. We have to keep our hands off the border, so that we don't get caught in the traffic.