Lithuania turns back 12 migrants at Belarus border

Lithuania’s State Border Guard Service (VSAT) reported that 12 irregular migrants were turned away at the border with Belarus over the past day, according to national news outlet LRT.

Giedrius Mišutis, a VSAT advisor, said on Thursday morning that five Syrian and one Iranian national were detained and turned back in the Ignalina district. Another six attempted to enter near Varėna but fled back into Belarus after spotting approaching border guards.

The same number of migrants were turned away the previous day. Latvia’s border service reported blocking 64 migrants on Wednesday, while Polish authorities recorded no such incidents the day before.

Last year, Lithuanian border guards prevented over 1,600 irregular entries from Belarus. So far this year, the figure stands at 804. Since the start of the migration crisis instigated by Belarus, Lithuania has denied entry to approximately 25,300 irregular migrants.

The influx of migrants to the EU’s eastern borders began in 2021, with Western officials accusing the Minsk regime of orchestrating the crisis.