EU stops 138 illegal migrants at Belarus border

August 28, BPN. Over the past 24 hours, the European Union countries have not allowed 138 migrants to enter illegally from Belarus.

The Lithuanian State Border Guard Service reported that it stopped 125 migrants at the Lithuanian-Belarusian border, a record number since the start of 2022. Lithuania registered a total of 5,128 illegal border crossing attempts this year. 

Polish border authorities tweeted about stopping 13 nationals of Congo, Cameroon, Yemen, and Egypt. Since the start of 2022, Poland recorded a total of 7,798 illegal border crossing attempts, with 832 attempts in August alone. 

The migration crisis at the Belarusian-EU border dates back to the spring of 2021. It escalated on November 8, 2021, when thousands of migrants set up a camp near the Polish border. The Baltic states and Poland accused Belarusian authorities of creating the trouble at the border, while the latter blamed it on the West.

Migration figures had dropped significantly by the time Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, but have risen more recently.