Lithuania turns back 11 migrants at Belarus border

Lithuania’s State Border Guard Service (VSAT) reported that 11 irregular migrants were turned away at the border with Belarus over the past day, public broadcaster LRT said on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Latvian border officials prevented 105 foreigners from entering the country on the same day. Polish authorities recorded no illegal border crossing attempts on Saturday, as in previous days.

Last year, Lithuanian border guards blocked over 1,600 people from entering from Belarus in prohibited areas, while this year the figure stands at 869. Since the start of the migration crisis triggered by Belarus, Lithuania has denied entry to 25,400 irregular migrants.

A surge of migrants began entering the eastern EU states from Belarus in 2021, with Western governments accusing Minsk of orchestrating the crisis.