EU stops 102 illegal migrants at Belarus border

August 29, BPN. Over the past 24 hours, the European Union countries have not allowed 102 migrants to enter illegally from Belarus.

The Lithuanian State Border Guard Service reported that it stopped 82 migrants at the Lithuanian-Belarusian border, taking the total number of illegal border crossing attempts in 2022 to 5,210.

Polish border authorities tweeted about stopping 20 nationals of Algeria, Egypt, Congo, and Yemen. They noted that near the border checkpoints in Dubicze Cerkiewne and Mielnik, foreigners tried to climb over the newly built border fence with a ladder, but fled back to Belarus at the sight of Polish border patrols.

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.