Illegal Belarus-EU border crossings soar to 217 in 24 hours

September 26, Pozirk. The European Union (EU) has not allowed at least 217 migrants to enter illegally from Belarus over the past day. 

The Lithuanian State Border Guard Service did not register any border violations for three consecutive days but said their Latvian colleagues thwarted 164 attempts.

The Polish Border Guard said 53 foreigners, including nationals of Afghanistan, Iran and Syria, tried to illegally enter from Belarus.

Since the start of 2023, the EU has recorded at least 32,270 attempts by illegal migrants to enter its territory from Belarus, with 21,128 attempts via Poland, 9,430 via Latvia and 1,712 via Lithuania. Illegal migrants attempted to cross the Belarusian-EU border as many as 3,501 times in September.

BPN’s analysis of daily stats indicated growing tension at the Belarusian-EU border, with Latvia turning into the prime target. Illegal border crossing attempts peaked at 5,054 in July.

The migration crisis at the Belarusian-EU border dates back to the spring of 2021. It escalated in November 2021, with thousands of migrants setting up a camp near the Polish border. The Baltic states and Poland accused Belarusian authorities of creating the trouble, while the latter blamed it on the West.

Migration figures had dropped significantly by the time Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, but have risen more recently.

On August 28, interior ministers of Poland and the Baltic States agreed to close their borders with Belarus in case of a surge in illegal migration.