Lithuania turns back 23 migrants at Belarus border

Lithuanian border guards turned back 23 migrants at the border with Belarus over the past 24 hours, LRT reported on Saturday, citing the State Border Guard Service.

Latvian border guards turned back 43 migrants on Friday, while Poland recorded no attempts to enter the country illegally on Thursday.

Lithuania has refused entry to 1,155 migrants so far this year. Last year, people attempted to enter the country illegally from Belarus more than 1,600 times, compared with 1,002 attempts the year before.

Since the start of the migration crisis caused by Belarus, Lithuanian border guards have prevented more than 25,600 foreign nationals from entering the country illegally.

The influx of migrants from Belarus into eastern EU member states began in 2021. Western countries accuse the Minsk regime of organising it.