Lithuania reports no illegal border crossings from Belarus as Latvia turns back 79 migrants

No attempts to illegally cross into Lithuania from Belarus were recorded over the past week, the State Border Guard Service (VSAT) reported on Monday, while Latvian authorities turned away 79 unauthorised migrants on Sunday.

Polish border officials reported no such incidents on Saturday, according to VSAT data. Since the start of this year, Lithuania has blocked 386 attempts by unauthorised migrants to enter the country.

Last year, border guards recorded 1,600 unauthorised crossing attempts from Belarus, compared to 1,002 in 2022. Since the start of the migration crisis triggered by Belarus in 2021, Lithuanian authorities have prevented nearly 25,000 unauthorised entries.

The influx of migrants into eastern EU member states via Belarus began in 2021, with Western officials accusing Minsk of orchestrating the crisis.