Did Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko order to close borders with neighboring countries? No, that's not true: As of May 23, 2023 there is still free movement at the border with Ukraine, Poland, and Lithuania.
The claim originated from a video (archived here) where it was published by black...whale on February 25, 2023 under the title "About closing of the Polish border". It later reappeared with the same title on May 18, 2023 (can be viewed here).
It opened:
Aleksander Lukashenko ordered to close borders and refuse entry for the citizens of neighboring countries Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania. And Belarusians residing in those countries will not be able to return back to Belarus in the near future.
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Tue May 23 10:25:48 2023 UTC)
According to the information of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and State Border Committee of the Republic of Belarus, the citizens of Ukraine, Poland, and Lithuania can enter Belarus visa-free as of May 23, 2023. Poland has shut down a few of its ground entry points with Belarus and "does not rule out a possibility of closing other border crossings," said prime minister of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki.
The Belarusian President made a similar statement in September 2020, however, the borders remained open so far.
