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Lithuanian border guards force 186 illegal migrants back to Belarus in past day

Over 4,000 illegal migrants have been detained on the Lithuanian-Belarusian border since the beginning of the year

© EPA-EFE/VALDA KALNINA

VILNIUS, October 29. /TASS/. Lithuanian border guards turned away over 180 illegal migrants from Asian and African countries in the past day, forcing them back into Belarus, the Lithuanian Interior Ministry's Border Guard Service said in a statement on Friday.

"As many as 186 illegal migrants tried to enter several of Lithuania's border districts, the highest number since August 4. The offenders were forced back into Belarus," the statement reads.

According to the border service, Lithuanian border guards did not use special equipment and weapons.

Over 4,000 illegal migrants have been detained on the Lithuanian-Belarusian border since the beginning of the year, 50 times more than in 2020. Vilnius believes that the migration crisis was triggered by Minsk and has denounced it as a hybrid attack on Lithuania in retaliation for its policy of supporting the Belarusian opposition.

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Belarus Lithuania Migration

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