{"id":204434,"date":"2026-09-18T22:25:23","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T19:25:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/204434\/"},"modified":"2026-09-18T22:25:26","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T19:25:26","slug":"irregular-migrants-return-to-lithuanian-border-after-us-envoy-leaves-vilnius","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/204434\/","title":{"rendered":"Irregular migrants return to Lithuanian border after US envoy leaves Vilnius"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

September 18, Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> Undocumented third-country foreigners resumed their attempts to enter Lithuania\u2019s territory from Belarus on September 17, after a one-day break that coincided with the release and deportation of 25 Belarusian political prisoners into Lithuania and a visit to Vilnius by US Special Envoy for Belarus John Coale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In particular, the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service reportedly thwarted 11 attempts at irregular entry from Belarus on Thursday. Lithuania reported crossing attempts from Belarus every day between September 9 and September 15, recording 132 such incidents during the week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The United States\u2019 diplomatic engagement with Belarus contributed to the release of political prisoners as well as a reduction in hybrid threats and tensions in the region, Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevi\u010dius told John Coale at their meeting on September 16.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The number of irregular crossing attempts at the Belarusian-Lithuanian border has been rising over the past three months, with 94 attempts in June, 163 in July and 312 in August, according to Pozirk\u2019s analysis of border guards\u2019 data. As many as 204 crossing attempts were recorded in the first 17 days of September.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lithuania accounted for 3.9 percent of the total number of attempts at irregular entry from Belarus into the European Union in June, for 6.4 percent in July, for 17.9 percent in August and for 20.6 percent in the first 17 days of September.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, Latvia, which has been the primary target of irregular migration via Belarus this year, accounting for 95.6 percent of all attempts in June, saw the share shrink to 89.4 percent in July, 79 percent in August and 70.3 percent in the first 17 days of September.<\/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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