Irregular Belarus-EU border crossings spike in early 2025

February 12, Pozirk. Irregular border crossings from Belarus into the European Union by third-country foreigners rose to 648 in January and early February from 150 attempts documented in the same period in 2024, according to Pozirk‘s analysis of border guards’ data.

Poland thwarted at least 392 clandestine entry attempts this year; Latvia, 174; Lithuania, 82.

In the first 10 days of February, the European Union did not allow 217 people to cross illegally via Belarus, with attempts growing significantly both month on month and year on year.

Last year, the EU thwarted at least 36,291 irregular border crossings at its shared border with Belarus after foiling 42,078 attempts in 2023.

The flow of people desperate to get to the EU surged in spring 2021 after Alaksandar Łukašenka, angered by EU sanctions, had indicated that Minsk would not prevent asylum seekers from Africa and Asia from using Belarus as a route to the EU.

Belarus’ western neighbors call the migration crisis a “hybrid attack” orchestrated by Minsk and Moscow.

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