Lithuanian border guards detain 34 migrants in single day as some rescued from swamp

Lithuanian border authorities apprehended 34 irregular migrants at the Belarus border on Tuesday—the highest daily total this year—while firefighters rescued two others from a swamp near the Polish frontier, LRT reports.

The State Border Guard Service (VSAT) stated that the migrants, mostly men aged 20–40, attempted to enter Lithuania in multiple groups near the Čepkeliai State Nature Reserve in Varėna district. Most claimed citizenship from Afghanistan, Algeria, Eritrea, Pakistan, and Somalia. Authorities deployed reinforced units, including dog handlers and a helicopter, to intercept them.

VSAT noted a rising trend of physically fit, aggressive migrants resisting detention, with some throwing stones and sticks at officers. “Their goal is not asylum in Lithuania but illegal transit to Western Europe, primarily Germany,” the service said in a statement. This year, Lithuania has blocked 169 irregular entries, compared to over 1,600 attempts in 2023.

Separately, firefighters rescued two Somali nationals from a swamp near Graužiniai village on the Polish border early Tuesday. Emergency responders pulled one man from waist-deep water using ropes and auxiliary equipment before handing both to medical teams. VSAT confirmed the pair were irregular migrants and are now under guard in a hospital. Their condition was described as stable.

The surge in crossings follows a 2021 spike in irregular migration from Belarus into EU member states, which Western officials have attributed to coordinated efforts by Minsk.