Lithuania turns back 25 irregular migrants at Belarus border

Lithuanian border guards prevented 25 irregular migrants from entering the country from Belarus last week, the State Border Guard Service (VSAT) reported on Wednesday.

According to the agency, Latvian authorities also blocked 54 attempts to cross the border illegally on Tuesday, while Polish officials recorded no such incidents that day. Since the start of the year, Lithuania has refused entry to 532 irregular migrants.

In 2025, there were over 1,600 attempts to cross into Lithuania from Belarus at unauthorized locations, compared to 1,002 such attempts in 2024. Since the start of the migration crisis orchestrated by Belarus in 2021, Lithuanian border guards have prevented 25,000 foreigners from entering the country illegally.

The surge of migrants toward eastern EU member states via Belarus began in 2021, with Western officials accusing Minsk of orchestrating the flows.