Belarus’ police arrest 94 EU-bound illegal migrants near Minsk

February 18, BPN. Minsk police rounded up 94 foreigners in Michanavičy near Minsk, the interior ministry’s press office reported.

The group includes nationals of Algeria, Afghanistan, Egypt, Yemen, Iraq, Syria, Morocco and Pakistan. They reportedly arrived from Russia without Belarusian visas and were planning to travel to the EU.

Authorities deported 27 foreigners and charged 54 others with minor offenses, offering them to leave Belarus voluntarily. Seven persons without IDs remain in custody, while four others face criminal charges over violations of Belarusian entry restrictions.

Police are currently investigating who tried to help migrants to enter the EU illegally, the interior ministry said.

On February 17, the EU turned away 33 migrants at its borders to Belarus, recording a total of 3,239 attempts by illegal migrants to enter its territory since the start of 2023.

The migration crisis at the Belarusian-EU border dates back to the spring of 2021. It escalated in November 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, 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.