Alexander Lukashenko, Belarus’ self-proclaimed president, declared on Friday that he is closing Belarus’ border with Ukraine,

one of its largest trading partners. Alleging “a huge inflow of weapons” from Ukraine, Lukashenko said at an Independence Day event: “I instructed the border troops to completely close the border with Ukraine.” Spanning 1,084 km and five regions of northern Ukraine, the border has 13 crossing points. Saturday morning, Ukraine’s State Border Service, reported: “There are no signs at the checkpoints indicating that the border has been closed.”