March 13, Pozirk. Belarus has deported 23 nationals of Kenya, Somalia, Pakistan and Afghanistan, who entered the country illegally, the interior ministry’s press office reports.
The foreigners were apprehended in Kałodziščy near Minsk where they stayed in private accommodations. They reportedly entered Belarus by land from Russia in violation of Belarusian legislation and were heading for the European Union.
Belarusian law enforcers are investigating to identify the leaders of the illegal migration ring.
Minsk reports detentions of people who intend to cross into the EU irregularly every once in a while. For instance, in a similar case last year, dozens of EU-bound foreigners were arrested in the same town.
The flow of people desperate to get to the EU surged in spring 2021 after Alaksandar Łukašenka, angered by EU sanctions, had indicated that Minsk would not prevent asylum seekers from Africa and Asia from using Belarus as a route to the EU.
Belarus’ western neighbors call the ongoing migration crisis a “hybrid attack” orchestrated by Minsk and Moscow.
