'A Dangerous Game'

"Along the banks of the Nemunas River, flags appear to be a fundamental feature. On one side, in the sleepy Lithuanian town of Panemune, Lithuanian, Ukrainian, and European Union flags flutter in the wind. On the other, a Russian flag towers over the Russian city of Sovetsk. On a nearby building is an illuminated decorative Z, a symbol used to show support for the Russian military's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022."

"Vehicles have been banned from crossing the checkpoint on the Lithuanian side since 2022, and dragon's teeth - concrete pyramidal anti-tank obstacles - have been installed. The message is clear: tensions are high, and travel across the bridge is not encouraged. Titas Paulkstelis, a 28-year-old wind turbine technician and resident of Panemune, remembers when people lined up on either side. Life here was booming, with people going back and forth, he said."

Lithuania, a Baltic state bordering Belarus and Russia's Kaliningrad, is adapting to escalating tensions between NATO and Moscow. Along the Nemunas River and on the Queen Louise Bridge, Lithuanian, Ukrainian and EU flags contrast with a Russian flag and an illuminated Z symbol in Sovetsk. Cross-border movement has been increasingly restricted: vehicles were banned at a Lithuanian checkpoint in 2022 and concrete dragon's teeth anti-tank obstacles were installed. Local residents recall former cross-border trade and daily trips to buy cheaper goods. Traffic across the bridge slowed after the 2014 Russia-backed separatist incursions and worsened following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

Read at www.aljazeera.com