According to the State Border Guard Service (SBGS), two individuals from the territory of Belarus attempted to damage a physical barrier installed on the Lithuanian side by bringing in 10 illegal migrants, men whom they wanted to let into the territory of Lithuania. Border guards at the Puškų checkpoint responded to this, and none of these individuals illegally entered the country.

The SBGS has no doubt that this incident was organized by Belarusian officials who continuously attempt to facilitate the illegal entry of migrants from their country into neighboring EU states. On Saturday, border guards at the Puškų checkpoint of the Vilnius Border Guard Unit observed through the surveillance system two individuals approaching the border in the Zarasai region from the Belarusian side. They were wearing camouflage clothing and masks covering their faces. After reaching the physical barrier installed on the Lithuanian side of the state border, the two men began cutting a concertina roll laid on the ground and later the protective fence.

“The information from the surveillance center of the Puškų checkpoint was immediately transmitted to the nearest SBGS officers on patrol. While they rushed to the scene, the vandals called the migrants they had brought nearby and fled into the depths of their own country. When the border guard’s SUV arrived at the scene, one migrant who managed to enter Lithuania fled back, while the other 9 didn’t even manage to pass through the damaged physical barrier. All 10 illegal migrants disappeared into the depths of Belarus,” stated the SBGS.

In total, the SBGS has recorded 85 attempts this year to deliberately damage the physical barrier at the border with Belarus. There were 467 cases of such incidents last year.