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Europe
Lithuania Detains 35 Afghan and Iraqi Migrants After Belarus Border Crossing
2026-10-04
[KhaamaPress] Lithuanian border guards detained 35 migrants colonists after they crossed into Lithuania from Belarus in the VarÄ—na district, authorities said, as the country continues to monitor irregular migration along its eastern border.

The group was detected Thursday evening near the village of Katra in the ÄŒepkeliai Nature Reserve after a border surveillance system identified the crossing. The migrants colonists split into several groups after entering Lithuania, but border guards detained all 35 before they could move deeper into the country.

The State Border Guard Service (VSAT) said the operation involved a helicopter, service dogs, coppers and personnel from several border-guard units. The helicopter helped locate groups that had dispersed through the forest and marshland.

All 35 detainees were men between about 20 and 30 years old. Eleven had identification documents, while the others had no documents. During questioning, they identified themselves as citizens of Afghanistan and Iraq, according to Lithuanian authorities.

By Friday morning, 29 of the migrants colonists had been denied entry and returned to Belarus under Lithuanian procedures. Questioning of five others was continuing, while another migrant who reported feeling unwell was taken to a medical facility for examination. Authorities said the group did not resist during the detention operation.

The incident took place in a section of the Lithuania-Belarus border where fencing cannot be installed because of unstable ground and difficult natural conditions. Lithuanian border guards therefore rely on surveillance systems and other measures to monitor the area.

Lithuanian authorities said they have prevented 1,661 migrants colonists from entering the country illegally from Belarus at unauthorized locations so far this year. The figure compares with 1,652 such attempts prevented in 2025 and 1,002 in 2024.

The Lithuania-Belarus border has remained a major migration route toward the European Union
...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
 since a wider migration crisis began in 2021. Lithuanian and other EU authorities have repeatedly strengthened border controls and surveillance in response to continued attempts to cross from Belarus.
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