{"id":196896,"date":"2026-07-23T11:40:34","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T08:40:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/196896\/"},"modified":"2026-07-23T11:40:36","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T08:40:36","slug":"latvia-remains-primary-target-of-irregular-migration-via-belarus","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/196896\/","title":{"rendered":"Latvia remains primary target of irregular migration via Belarus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

July 23, Pozirk.<\/em> <\/strong>The neighboring European Union countries did not allow at least 1,766 undocumented third-country foreigners to cross irregularly via Belarus in the first three weeks of July, according to Pozirk\u2019s<\/em> analysis of border guards\u2019 data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The number of attempts rose 3.7 percent month on month but saw a significant decline compared to the same period last year when more than 4,000 attempts were reported. Latvia continued to be the primary target of irregular migration, accounting for 92 percent of all irregular crossings, followed by Lithuania (5 percent) and Poland (3 percent).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, this month, Poland reported a rise in attempts from 14 to 51 and Lithuania, from 36 to 88, while the number of attempts to cross into Latvia fell slightly from 1,653 to 1,627.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarus\u2019 western neighbors have thwarted 9,652 attempts so far this year against 25,471 in the same period last year. Latvia reported 8,412 irregular crossings; Lithuania, 960 and Poland, 280.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The flow of people eager 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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