Lukashenko orders closure of Belarus border with Ukraine
MOSCOW (Reuters) -Belarus' leader Alexander Lukashenko on Friday ordered the closure of the border with Ukraine, seeking to block what he called an inflow of weapons to coup-plotters detected by his security services, BelTA state news agency reported.
The move appears to deepen a standoff between Belarus and outside powers angered by his government's forcing down of a Ryanair flight in May and arrest of a government critic who was on the aircraft.
Western countries imposed sanctions on Belarus to punish it for the action, and the European Union and Ukraine have also banned Belarus-registered flights from entering their airspace.
Lukashenko, who has repeatedly accused Western ill-wishers of trying to oust him from power, said he had ordered a purge across the country, and rebel groups that were planning to carry out a coup had been uncovered in Belarus.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/lukashenko-orders-closure-belarus-border-155841803.html