Border guards discover incomplete underground tunnel near Belarus border

Lithuanian border guards have discovered an incomplete underground tunnel near the Belarus border in the Varėna district, state border guard service (VSAT) reported on July 27.

On the morning of July 27, officers from the Kabeliai border outpost of the Varėna border guard detachment detected underground vibrations near the village of Piesčiai, suggesting possible digging from the Belarusian side. With assistance from Polish Border Guard specialists equipped with tunnel-detection technology, a test hole was drilled, revealing a channel dug from Belarus.

Excavation work uncovered a tunnel approximately 1.5 meters deep with a diameter of about 1 meter. The tunnel extended roughly 5 meters from the Belarusian side into Lithuanian territory but had no exit point on the Lithuanian side, making it unusable for illegal entry.

VSAT has initiated a pre-trial investigation, led by the Alytus district prosecutor’s office of the Kaunas regional prosecutor’s office. Under Lithuanian law, illegal crossing of the state border can result in fines, arrest, or imprisonment for up to two years. The tunnel has since been filled in.