Lithuania sets daily record with 35 migrants turned back

Lithuania has recorded a new daily high in illegal migration attempts, with border guards stopping or turning back 35 people in a single day, according to authorities cited by Delfi.

The State Border Guard Service said those intercepted included one woman, with the rest being men. The migrants were moving in groups in southern Lithuania and claimed to be citizens of Afghanistan, Iran, Morocco, Pakistan, and Somalia, with many lacking identification documents.

Some individuals, after noticing border guards while still on Belarusian territory, chose not to cross and returned.

Most attempted crossings were concentrated near the Čepkeliai Nature Reserve, where swampy terrain limits the installation of physical barriers, leaving surveillance and patrols as the primary control methods.

Following identity checks, all detained migrants were denied entry and sent back to Belarus. The operation involved the use of service dogs and drones.

The previous daily record of 34 migrants had been set just two days earlier. Since the start of the year, authorities have recorded 314 attempted crossings into Latvia, 221 into Lithuania, and 132 into Poland.

By Tamilla Hasanova