Lithuania is detecting dozens of attempts to smuggle migrants via tunnels from Belarus, with the border guard chief saying that the Minsk authorities are most likely involved in the operation.
“Recently, we have seen a change in migrants' tactics: they are increasingly using tunnels or caves,” Rustamas Liubajevas, the chief of the State Border Guard Service (VSAT), told 15min in an interview published on Tuesday.
He added that the border guards have discovered “tens of places” where tunnels are “almost certainly” being dug. Previously, VSAT said the officers had uncovered a tunnel in southeastern Lithuania, leading from Belarus.
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“Without logistical support from the Belarusian border guards, this would not be possible. First of all, all of this activity is taking place right next to the border. Then there is the need to supply timber, as the tunnel has wooden supports,” Liubajevas said.
“So we have little doubt that the Belarusian authorities are either turning a blind eye or actively helping migrants dig these tunnels. They may not be digging them themselves, but the work is clearly being organised using migrants,” he added.
According to Liubajevas, this has become more common this year, although the first such tunnels were discovered last year. He did not provide the exact figures to the 15min reporters.
He said migrants had previously used similar methods on the Belarus-Poland border.
