Lithuania turns back 13 illegal migrants at Belarus border

Lithuanian border guards prevented 13 illegal migrants from entering the country from Belarus on Monday. This incident is part of a larger pattern of attempted border crossings that authorities have been managing.

In separate actions, Latvia's border service turned away 23 migrants on the same day, while Polish officials denied entry to 5 foreigners on Sunday. These actions highlight a coordinated effort by the Baltic states and Poland to control their borders against irregular migration flows originating from Belarus.

Last year, Lithuanian officials stopped more than 1,600 individuals from illegally crossing from Belarus into Lithuania. This year, the number has already reached 824. Since the onset of the migration crisis, which Western countries attribute to the Minsk regime, Lithuania has denied entry to a total of 25,300 illegal migrants.

Migrants began to surge into Eastern European Union countries in 2021. The West has accused the Belarusian regime of orchestrating this influx as a form of hybrid warfare, using migrants as leverage.