{"id":176775,"date":"2026-02-23T11:39:13","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T08:39:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/176775\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"belarus-eu-border-sees-renewed-increase-in-irregular-crossings","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/176775\/","title":{"rendered":"Belarus-EU border sees renewed increase in irregular crossings"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n (Polish Border Guard)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

February 23, <\/strong>Pozirk.<\/strong> <\/em>The neighboring European Union countries thwarted 59 attempts by third-country foreigners to cross irregularly via Belarus in the first three weeks of February, according to Pozirk<\/em>‘s analysis of border guards’ data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Attempts more than doubled from January\u2019s total of 28. However, the undocumented migrants\u2019 crossings remained well below the February 2025 level, when 253 attempts were reported. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of the attempts registered this month, 46, targeted Poland. Thirty-three of them were reported on February 20 and 21. Lithuania did not allow 11 foreigners to cross irregularly, and Latvia, two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the start of 2026, Belarus\u2019 western neighbors thwarted 87 attempts against 921 attempts recorded in the same period in 2025. Last year, 42,714 irregular entries were reported.<\/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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