Lithuania turns back 13 irregular migrants at Belarus border

Lithuanian border guards turned back 13 irregular migrants from the country’s border with Belarus over the past 24 hours, the State Border Guard Service said on Thursday, according to LRT.

Latvian border guards turned back 78 migrants on Wednesday, while Poland recorded no attempts to enter the country illegally on Tuesday.

More than 1,300 irregular migrants have been denied entry to Lithuania so far this year. Last year, there were more than 1,600 attempts to cross into the country from Belarus at unauthorised locations, compared with 1,002 the year before.

Since the start of the migration crisis caused by Belarus, Lithuanian border guards have prevented nearly 26,000 foreigners from entering the country illegally.

The influx of migrants from Belarus into the eastern EU member states began in 2021. Western countries accuse the regime in Minsk of organising it.