Latvia reports sharp rise in illegal border crossing attempts
July 9, Pozirk. In the first week of July, illegal border crossings via Belarus into Poland plunged to 183, a sharp decrease compared to the same period last month, while crossings into Latvia rose three-fold to 386, Pozirk‘s analysis of border guards’ data showed.
Lithuanian border guards have not allowed 12 migrants to enter illegally from Belarus over the past week.
Pressure on the Polish border has eased after Polish President Andrzej Duda and Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks in Beijing on June 24. Duda informed his counterpart about the challenges posed by the migration crisis to Chinese goods transit to the EU.
In mid-June, Warsaw also enacted a 90-day border area entry ban at the shared border with Belarus that helped cut illegal crossing attempts.
Since the start of 2024, the EU has thwarted at least 23,518 attempts to violate its border from Belarus, 15 percent more than in the same period last year. Poland was the primary target with 20,414 attempts, while Latvia and Lithuania reported 4,593 and 1,267 attempts, respectively.
The migration crisis at the Belarus-EU border 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.
In June 2021, the Belarusian government announced the suspension of a readmission agreement with the EU in response to sanctions that followed the forced landing of a Ryanair flight in Minsk.
Tensions on the border escalated this spring with the spike in illegal border crossings and attacks on Polish border guards by people trying to cross the border illegally. One of them resulted in the death of Polish soldier Mateusz Sitek, stabbed at the border with Belarus.
Belarus’ western neighbors call the migration crisis a “hybrid attack” orchestrated by Minsk and Moscow.
- PoliticsMEPs discuss resolution on Belarus' political prisonersThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics, SocietyLatvian national Asars arrested for drug smuggling – customs committeeThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsHuman rights defenders label 7 as political prisonersThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsNames of all 37 recently pardoned prisoners knownThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsŁatuška receives solidarity prize in WarsawThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics
Yandex Music takes down Tor Band songs
- PoliticsLatvia contacts Belarusian authorities regarding missing citizenThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsNames of 27 political prisoners pardoned on September 16The material is available only to POZIRK+
- EconomyEuropean Court of Justice upholds sanctions against Biełaruśkalij and BPCThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsRights group reports arrests of teachers across BelarusThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics, SecurityCSTO poses threat to Armenia - PashinyanThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Economy
Rubel down against US dollar, euro, yuan at BCSE
- PoliticsWomen's Foundation branded “extremist" groupThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsSupreme Court upholds prison sentence for exiled rights defender SudalenkaThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics
Former journalist Tołčyn pardoned, released
- PoliticsReprisals: another group convicted over 2020 protests in BrestThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics, SocietyŁukašenka bans trading crypto outside Belarusian exchangesThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Society
Rights activist receives Free Media Award for imprisoned journalist Ščyrakova
- Politics, Security
Łukašenka acknowledges Russian drone incursions into Belarus
- Politics, SocietyOpposition activists discuss Belarusian students with Polish officialsThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsChina's new ambassador presents copies of credentials to RyžankoŭThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- SocietyLower house gives first reading to bill mitigating punishment for drug-related offencesThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsPropagandist names 10 more pardoned protestersThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsOpposition leader to visit US next weekThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics
Bouts of anti-Polish rhetoric on Belarusian TV on anniversary of Soviet attack on Poland
- Economy
Rubel keeps falling against US dollar at BCSE
- EconomyLower chamber approves joint Russia-Belarus aircraft productionThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Economy
Biełstat reports economic growth slowdown
- Politics, SecurityProsecutors from Russia-held Ukraine's region charge Belarusian with mercenarismThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsOpposition leader urges NATO PA to support Belarus’ independenceThe material is available only to POZIRK+