{"id":179830,"date":"2026-03-18T12:02:59","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T09:02:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/179830\/"},"modified":"2026-03-18T12:03:02","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T09:03:02","slug":"belarus-latvia-border-sees-spike-in-irregular-crossings-since-march-15","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/179830\/","title":{"rendered":"Belarus-Latvia border sees spike in irregular crossings since March 15"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n (mk.gov.lv)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

March 18, Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> Latvia did not allow 22 undocumented third-country foreigners to cross irregularly via Belarus yesterday, nearly matching February\u2019s total of 20 attempts, according to Pozirk<\/em>‘s analysis of border guards’ data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the past three days, Latvia has thwarted 82 attempts, four times the total recorded in February.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the start of March, Latvia has reported 98 irregular crossings, more than double year on year. However, the total since January stands at 118, which is significantly fewer than the 254 attempts recorded during the same period in 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lithuania and Poland did not report irregular crossings via Belarus yesterday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarus’ western neighbors have thwarted at least 268 attempts by undocumented migrants to enter their territories via Belarus, with the number of irregular crossings dropping significantly from 2,264 attempts reported in the same period last year. <\/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

The prime ministers of Lithuania, Latvia and Poland signed a joint declaration on February 26 on strengthening cooperation to beef up border security and respond to hybrid threats. The governments committed \u201cto resist the instrumentalization of migration and other hybrid threats at the external borders of the European Union, including land, sea, and airspace.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The three countries agreed to develop corresponding measures within the existing legal framework of bilateral cooperation and on the EU level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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