{"id":163427,"date":"2025-11-09T14:06:25","date_gmt":"2025-11-09T11:06:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/163427\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"irregular-belarus-lithuania-crossings-drop-after-vilnius-closes-shared-border","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/163427\/","title":{"rendered":"Irregular Belarus-Lithuania crossings drop after Vilnius closes shared border"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n (vsat.lrv.lt)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

November 9, Pozirk. <\/em><\/strong>Irregular border crossings by third-country foreigners from Belarus into Lithuania have halted amid rising tensions between both countries linked to incursions of cigarette-smuggling balloons launched from Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lithuania did not record irregular border crossings from Belarus in the first eight days of this month, according to Pozirk<\/em>‘s analysis of border guards’ data. This period followed Lithuania\u2019s move to close the border until November 30 due to numerous airspace violations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the first week of November, Latvia thwarted 198 irregular crossings via Belarus and Poland, 129 attempts. The daily average stood at 47 attempts, matching the level observed in early November 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the start of 2025, the EU has thwarted at least 41,487 irregular crossings via Belarus, 14.3 percent more than the total for all of 2024. Most of the attempts \u2013 28,564 \u2013 targeted Poland. Latvia reported 11,378 attempts and Lithuania, 1,545.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s number of irregular border crossings is currently comparable to 2023 levels, when 42,078 attempts were recorded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The flow of people desperate to cross into the EU surged in spring 2021 after Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka, angered by EU sanctions, had indicated that Minsk would not prevent asylum seekers from Africa and Asia from using Belarus as a route to the EU.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In June 2021, the Belarusian government suspended a readmission agreement with the EU in response to sanctions that followed the forced landing of a Ryanair flight in Minsk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Latvia, Lithuania and Poland call the migration crisis a \u201chybrid attack\u201d orchestrated by Minsk and Moscow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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