Border guards detain Ukrainian man who illegally crossed from Belarus

LRT reported that Lithuanian border guards detained a Ukrainian citizen in Šalčininkai district after he illegally crossed the state border by wading through the Jurgionys pond.

The State Border Guard Service said its surveillance system detected a person crossing the pond from the Belarusian side and attempting to reach the Lithuanian shore on Saturday night. Patrol officers from the nearby Tribonys border guard unit arrived at the scene and detained him.

The man, a 35-year-old Ukrainian citizen, was carrying an identity document. The Varėna Border Guard Unit has opened a pre-trial investigation into the illegal crossing of the state border.

After spending the night in the detention facilities of the Tribonys border guard unit, the man was questioned by investigators on Saturday. During the questioning, he applied for asylum in Lithuania.

He was later taken to the Foreigners’ Registration Centre in Pabradė.