{"id":187846,"date":"2026-05-17T14:58:54","date_gmt":"2026-05-17T11:58:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/187846\/"},"modified":"2026-05-17T14:58:56","modified_gmt":"2026-05-17T11:58:56","slug":"latvia-reports-31-month-high-in-irregular-crossings-via-belarus","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/187846\/","title":{"rendered":"Latvia reports 31-month high in irregular crossings via Belarus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n\n Riga\n <\/div>\n \n
\n (Pozirk)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

May 17, Pozirk. <\/em><\/strong>Latvia did not allow at least 170 undocumented third-country foreigners to cross via Belarus yesterday, with the number of attempts comparable to October 1, 2023 when 220 such crossings were reported, according to Pozirk<\/em>\u2019s analysis of border guards\u2019 data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Latvian border guards have thwarted 1,266 attempts since the start of May and 3,288 since January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The number of irregular crossings into the European Union via the Belarus\u2013Latvia border has increased steadily month by month in 2026, peaking at 1,700 in April. The upward trend has continued this month as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lithuania has not recorded any attempts for the past nine days, with 57 irregular crossings in the first half of May. After April 16, Poland reported irregular migrant activities only on May 13, with 16 attempts.<\/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 to strengthen cooperation and 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 EU, including land, sea, and airspace.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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