Lithuanian border guards detain 35 migrants after Belarus crossing

Lithuanian border guards detained 35 migrants who crossed from Belarus into Varėna district on Thursday evening, and 29 had been returned to Belarus by Friday morning, LRT reported.

The State Border Guard Service said officers intercepted the group before they could travel farther into Lithuania. Border guards, police officers, a service helicopter and service dogs took part in the operation.

The crossing was detected by a video surveillance system near Katros village, within the Čepkeliai Nature Reserve. After crossing the border, the migrants split into several groups but were soon detained. They did not resist, the service said.

All those detained were men, mostly aged between 20 and 30. Eleven had documents, while the others had none. They identified themselves as citizens of Afghanistan and Iraq.

Individual assessments found no threats to the migrants, the service said. By Friday morning, 29 had been returned to Belarus under the relevant procedures. Interviews with five others were still under way, while another migrant who reported feeling unwell was taken to a medical facility for an examination.

More than 1,600 migrants have been prevented from entering Lithuania this year, according to BNS. Last year, there were more than 1,600 attempts to enter Lithuania from Belarus at unauthorised locations; the figure was 1,002 the year before. The influx of migrants from Belarus into eastern EU member states began in 2021, and Western countries accuse the Minsk regime of organising it.