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Lithuania pushes back 183 migrants to Belarus in the past day, a record high since August

According to the Lithuanian Interior Ministry’s border guard service, special tools and weapons were not used by border guards

VILNIUS, October 24. /TASS/. Lithuanian border guards forced back over 180 migrants from Asian and African countries trying to enter illegally from the Belarusian territory over the past day, the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service reported on Sunday.

"Some 183 illegal migrants attempted to enter Lithuania in several border regions, a record high number since August. The violators were forced back to Belarus," the message reads.

According to the Lithuanian Interior Ministry’s border guard service, special tools and weapons were not used by border guards. Since October 13, the service has not revealed the specific zones where violations occurred in order to deprive migrants of operative information.

Overall, over 4,000 illegal migrants have been detained on the Lithuanian-Belarusian border since the beginning of the year or 50 times more compared to all of 2020. Vilnius believes that the migration crisis has been triggered by Minsk and brands it a hybrid attack on Lithuania.