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POZIRK+Two women convicted for allegedly smuggling 53 foreigners into Belarus
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Dozens attempt to cross into Lithuania irregularly via Belarus
October 2, Pozirk. Lithuania did not allow 35 undocumented third-country foreigners to cross irregularly via Belarus yesterday after border guards detected a mass irregular border crossing in the Varėna district, where no border fence was installed, the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service reported.
Border guards deployed a helicopter and K-9 teams, blocked roads in the area and requested police assistance in the search operation. Foreigners reportedly split into several groups on Lithuanian territory but were unable to advance far and were detained in the forest.
The group consisted of men from Afghanistan and Iraq aged between 20 and 30, according to the Lithuanian authorities. By this morning, 29 returned to Belarus while five others were still being questioned. One of the men complained of feeling unwell and was taken to a hospital.
Since the start of 2026, Belarus’ western neighbors have thwarted at least 13,806 irregular crossings via Belarus, of which 1,661 targeted Lithuania.
Last month, the total number stood at 1,635, hitting a six-month low, according to Pozirk’s analysis of border guards’ data. Latvia remained the primary target of irregular migration with 1,238 attempts, yet the number has been decreasing for four consecutive months.
The flow of people eager to cross into 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.
In June 2021, the Belarusian government suspended a readmission agreement with the EU in response to sanctions that followed the forced landing of a Ryanair flight in Minsk.
Latvia, Lithuania and Poland call the migration crisis a “hybrid attack” orchestrated by Minsk and Moscow.
Lithuania installs water gate at tri-border junction to curb irregular migration
September 30, Pozirk. Lithuanian authorities have installed a protective water gate on the Mara River at the Lithuania-Poland-Belarus border junction as part of a Polish project, the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service reported. The gate can be lowered directly into …
