It is not the first time the US State Department has urged Americans in Belarus to exit the country, but certainly the alarm is growing louder as neighboring countries move to seal more borders with the sanctioned country which has aided Putin’s special military operation in Ukraine.

A Monday statement by the Biden administration has told all US citizens still in Belarus to leave immediately, further warning against travel there for any reason.

The neighboring states of Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia have increased security and military deployments to the Belarusian border, particularly on concerns of Russian Wagner fighters having a major presence there.

“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,” the State Department wrote in the fresh warning.