Most Belarusians who moved to Lithuania are political migrants – Lithuanian think tank

January 12, BPN. Political migrants account for 86 percent of Belarusians who have moved to Lithuania, Živilė Dambrauskaitė of the Vilnius-based Eastern Europe Studies Centre told Delfi citing a recent survey.

They either faced politically-motivated persecution or saw some of their family members suffer from it, the survey found.

Currently, about 40,000 Belarusians reside in Lithuania, the expert said. They chose it because of clear procedures for obtaining visas and residence permits and being familiar with the country, she added.

Migrants’ backgrounds range from workers to IT professionals, she said, noting that participants in the 2020 protests in Belarus came from all social groups.

Most of migrants are between 30 and 40 years old, as older generations are more reluctant to move abroad and are concerned about their health, the expert said.

Belarusians integrate well in Lithuania as only about 10 percent of them use social programs and 25 percent seek assistance from NGOs. About 70 percent have permanent and stable sources of income, while 25 percent plan to create new jobs.

Belarusian migrants described Russia’s war against Ukraine as “a shocking and traumatic” experience. They also evaluated their safety in Lithuania at 8-9 out of 10.