Number Of Attempts To Violate Belarus-EU Borders Increases Sharply

Since the beginning of April, 3,729 attempts have been recorded.

Over the past 24 hours, April 14, EU countries stopped 227 attempts to illegally cross the border from Belarus (the day before there were 292 such attempts), according to Pozirk’s analysis of statistical data from their border departments.

The Lithuanian State Border Guard Service did not record any attempts at illegal crossing (the same as the day earlier).

The State Border Guard of Latvia prevented 52 such attempts (16), this year it was more only on March 17 — 55.

Over the course of three days, the Polish border guard stopped 669 attempts to illegally cross the border from Belarusian territory, including, according to Pozirk’s calculations, 175 over the past day (276).

Since the beginning of April, EU countries have recorded 3,729 attempts to violate the border from Belarus (Poland — 3,342, Latvia — 362, Lithuania — 25), which is 2.4 times more than in the same period in 2023 (1,548), and by 8.4% more than in the whole of last year in April (3,440).

Since the beginning of 2024, border guards of neighboring EU countries have recorded 8,521 attempts at illegal entry (Poland — 7,223, Latvia — 1,137, Lithuania — 161).

The migration crisis on the borders of Belarus with Poland and Lithuania arose in the second half of 2021. Migrants from the countries of the Middle East and Africa flew to Belarus to illegally cross into the European Union. Polish and Lithuanian border guards have repeatedly testified that Belarusian border guards help migrants cross the border. The actions of the Belarusian authorities in the West were regarded as a form of hybrid war.

The Baltic countries and Poland see this as retaliation for their tough stance on Lukashenka’s repression of the Belarusian opposition and civil society.