{"id":184681,"date":"2026-04-23T17:47:35","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T14:47:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/184681\/"},"modified":"2026-04-23T17:47:37","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T14:47:37","slug":"latvia-accounts-for-70-percent-of-all-irregular-belarus-eu-crossings-since-january","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/184681\/","title":{"rendered":"Latvia accounts for 70 percent of all irregular Belarus-EU crossings since January"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n (Pozirk)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

April 23, Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> Latvia has been recording between 13 and 134 daily attempts by undocumented third-country foreigners to cross irregularly via Belarus over the past four weeks, according to Pozirk<\/em>\u2019s analysis of border guards\u2019 data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Poland has not recorded any attempts since April 17. Lithuania thwarted a total of 49 attempts on April 21 and 22.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This month, Latvia has been the primary target for irregular migration with 1,323 attempts. By contrast, Lithuania thwarted 346 irregular crossings and Poland, only 14. Latvia accounted for nearly 79 percent of all irregular crossings from Belarus into the European Union this month and almost 70 percent since year’s start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the start of 2026, Latvia reported 1,638 attempts; Lithuania, 535; and Poland, 172.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The flow of people desperate to cross into the EU surged in spring 2021 after Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka, 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Latvia, Lithuania and Poland call the migration crisis a \u201chybrid attack\u201d orchestrated by Minsk and Moscow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The prime ministers of Lithuania, Latvia and Poland signed a joint declaration on February 26 to strengthen cooperation and beef up border security and respond to hybrid threats. The governments committed \u201cto resist the instrumentalization of migration and other hybrid threats at the external borders of the EU, including land, sea, and airspace.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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