Belarus-EU border crossings plummet in January

February 1, Pozirk. The European Union (EU) did not record any attempts by migrants from third countries to illegally cross the border from Belarus over the past day as the migration flow continues to shrink.

The EU registered no border violations 15 days in January. Since the start of 2024, the EU thwarted 96 illegal border crossings on its shared border with Belarus, as opposed to 1,989 attempts recorded in January 2023.

Illegal attempts to enter the EU via Poland fell from 1,398 to 87 year on year; from 372 to five via Latvia; from 219 to four via Lithuania.

In 2023, illegal border crossings between Belarus and the EU soared by 32 percent with at least 42,078 attempts recorded, of which 25,571 via Poland, 13,863 via Latvia and 2,644 via Lithuania.

Pozirk’s analysis of daily stats indicated fluctuated tension at the Belarusian-EU border throughout 2023 with a significant decrease by the end of the year and in early 2024.

The migration crisis started in spring 2021 after Alaksandar Łukašenka, angered by EU sanctions, had indicated that Minsk would not prevent migrants from Africa and Asia from using Belarus as a route to the EU. It escalated in November 2021, with hundreds of migrants storming the Polish border.

The Baltic states and Poland accused Belarusian authorities of creating the trouble, while the latter blamed it on the West.

In August 2023, the interior ministers of Poland and the Baltic States warned that they would close the border with Belarus in case of a surge in illegal migration.