{"id":85836,"date":"2024-05-18T14:45:08","date_gmt":"2024-05-18T11:45:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/85836\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"illegal-belarus-eu-border-crossings-on-the-rise-in-may","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/85836\/","title":{"rendered":"Illegal Belarus-EU border crossings rise in May"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

May 18, Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> European Union border guards reported at least 4,155 attempts by third-country foreigners to cross into Belarus illegally in the first 16 days of May. That was a rise of 3.9 percent compared with the same period last month, Pozirk<\/em>\u2018s analysis of border guards\u2019 data showed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Poland remained the primary target with at least 3,939 illegal border crossings, 11.2 percent more than in April. Illegal crossings into Latvia and Lithuania dropped by 52 and 60 percent, respectively, with 206 attempts thwarted by Latvia and only 10, by Lithuania.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The migration crisis at the Belarusian-EU border started in spring 2021 after Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka, angered by EU sanctions, had indicated that Minsk would not prevent migrants from Africa and Asia from using Belarus as a route to the EU. It escalated in November 2021, with hundreds of migrants storming the Polish border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In June 2021, the Belarusian government announced the suspension of 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

Pozirk<\/em>\u2019s analysis of daily stats indicated fluctuated tension at the Belarusian-EU border throughout 2023 with illegal border crossings picking up the pace since February and reaching record highs in April with at least 6,327 attempts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Baltic states and Poland accused Belarusian authorities of creating the trouble, while the latter blamed it on the West.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In August 2023, the interior ministers of Poland and the Baltic States warned that they would close the border with Belarus in response to a surge in illegal migration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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