Lithuanian border service said the Belarusian border guards pushed migrants into the territory of Lithuania • Novaya Gazeta • RIMA

Lithuanian border service said the Belarusian border guards pushed migrants into the territory of Lithuania

The Lithuanian State Security Service said that Belarusian border guard officers pushed out a group of illegal migrants into the territory of Lithuania, and then crossed the border themselves. This is stated on the page of the department on Facebook.

The report clarifies that after repeated warnings, the border guards of Belarus returned to their side. In total, the Lithuanian border service recorded 12 Belarusian border guards.

The border in the place where the conflict occurred, passes through a small water channel.

The head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Lithuania, Agni Bilotai, announced the decision to increase the security forces of the border, saying that Lithuania did not intend to "endure such a brand provocation."

Earlier today, the Border Committee of Belarus also published a video and said that on it "Lithuanian security forces using physical force are trying to push refugees into the territory of Belarus."

The situation with migrants was complicated in Lithuania in early summer. Due to what was happening in early July, the country's authorities declared an extreme situation. They announced plans to build a fence on the border with Belarus. The head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Lithuania, Agnes Bilotai, expressed the hope that he would be built for a year, while assuring that the humanitarian corridor would remain for Belarusians.

Following Lithuania, Latvia strengthened control on the border with Belarus, which in July adopted a law limiting the rights of illegal migrants. Due to the current situation, on August 11, she introduced the emergency mode in three border areas and in the city of Daugavpils.

The situation with migrants in these two countries worsened after Belarus weakened migration control on the border with Europe in connection with the reaction of the countries to the forced landing of the Ryanair aircraft in Minsk and the detention of ex-head of Nexta Roman Protasevich and Russians Sofia Sapieha.