„A new trend has been observed this year, with migrants making greater use of tunnels to enter the territory of the Republic of Lithuania,“ Liubajevas told ELTA.
According to the commander of the State Border Guard Service, around 10 tunnels have been identified in Lithuania this year, through which migrants have attempted – and in some cases succeeded – in entering the country’s territory illegally.
Generally, the border guard commander explained, when such tunnels are discovered, migrants who have entered Lithuania via them are turned back or detained. The tunnels themselves are filled in with earth.
Susiję straipsniai
According to Liubajevas, Polish border guards encountered such trends several years ago and have already shared their experience of how to prevent such actions with Lithuanian officials.
„Polish border guards have also shared their experience with us, so although this new trend has emerged, we were already somewhat prepared for such activities. Furthermore, our surveillance systems enable us to detect such work whilst it is still taking place underground. Most often, these activities are recorded, and we wait for the migrants to appear on the territory of the Republic of Lithuania. Guards are then organised so that migrants can be detained or deterred when they attempt to enter Lithuania illegally,“ said the commander of the State Border Guard Service.
Liubajevas explained that the State Border Guard Service has equipment that can be used to detect tunnels being dug, and is also trialling new technologies.
„Last week, scanning equipment was tested which makes it possible to detect cavities in the ground. This new technology has proved partially successful; the equipment was temporarily loaned to us by the Polish border guards, who have already acquired it. We plan to purchase similar equipment in the near future,“ he explained.
Liubajevas stated that tunnels are usually started on Belarusian territory, then dug beneath the border between Belarus and Lithuania. Finally, attempts are made to complete them as far away from the border line as possible, so that the moment of entry into Lithuania is as difficult as possible to detect.
„As a result, these tunnels can be quite long. The longest one we discovered was about 25 metres long on the territory of the Republic of Lithuania. It should also be noted that some of those metres were on the Belarusian side, but it is very difficult to say exactly how many. Presumably, the total length of such a tunnel could be around 30–40 metres,“ explained the commander of the State Border Guard Service.
According to him, the tunnels are often dug to a depth of 8 metres, and their interiors are reinforced with timber.
As Liubajevas stated, the specific way these tunnels are dug and built suggests that the regime of Alexander Lukashenko, who rules Belarus, is either involved in digging the tunnels or helping migrants dig them.
„This is complex work that requires certain skills and a certain level of logistics: timber must be supplied to reinforce the tunnel. This proves once again that it is not only migrants who are involved in this activity, but that the Belarusian side is also actively contributing to it, perhaps by providing logistical support or allowing migrants to operate in the border zone. This suggests that the regime in the neighbouring country is unlikely to abandon its intentions to maintain this tension on our border,“ explained Liubajevas.
An increasing number of migrants from African countries are being recorded
Speaking on the subject of irregular migration, Liubajevas stated that there have been noticeable changes in the actions of Belarusian officials who assist migrants in entering European Union countries.
„Whereas previously, during the irregular migration crisis, Lukashenko’s regime actively organised journeys to Belarus, continued to provide support to migrants by transporting them to the border, and actively pushed them into European Union territory, today we do not see such a high level of involvement in logistical terms,“ explained the commander of the State Border Guard Service.
„However, we are recording instances of the regime’s assistance and support for migrants when they arrive at the border with the European Union (...). We are recording instances where officials of Lukashenko’s regime sometimes damage the physical barrier. In this case, such incidents most often occur at the border between Latvia and Belarus,“ he added.
According to Liubajevas, it has also been observed that migrants from African countries are increasingly attempting to enter Lithuania and Latvia.
„At present, we are more frequently recording migrants from Afghanistan and Pakistan, and we are recording a significant number of people from African countries, particularly those who arrive via Latvia. For some reason, migrants from African countries are using the route through Latvia,“ said the head of the border guard service.
In total, since the start of the migration crisis triggered by Belarus, around 25,600 irregular migrants have been denied entry to Lithuania. Migrants began flooding into the eastern European Union countries in 2021, with the West blaming the Minsk regime for this.