Migrant tunnels in Lithuania direct suspicion towards Minsk
Lithuania's border guards have discovered tunnels through which migrants are trying to enter the country from Belarus. Analysts see them as a means to destabilize
Lithuania's border guards have discovered tunnels through which migrants are trying to enter the country from Belarus. Analysts see them as a means to destabilize the country. Migrants are taking a new route to enter the Baltic country Lithuania: underground tunnels. These could be yet another attempt by Belarus to foster political instability, experts say. The country's border guards say they have found 12 such tunnels since the beginning of the year near the Belarusian border, with a length of up to 25 meters on the Lithuanian side. They are expecting more to emerge. Lithuania's border with Belarus is about 700 kilometers long, around 550 kilometers of which are fenced. "We have a ground seismic system, which can detect easily when there's a high level of vibrations over a long period of time," General Rustamas Liubajevas, the commander of Lithuania's State Border Guard Service, explained to DW. "We then wait [outside a tunnel] for the final stage of the digging and when the migrants come out, we apprehend them," he said, adding that up to 40 migrants exiting such tunnels had been arrested. Last year Lithuania registered 1652 irregular border crossings Image: Lithuania's State Border Guard Service Lithuania's prosecutor's office confirmed to DW that a pre-trial investigation was under way concerning approximately 20 people suspected of illegally digging a tunnel. Possible charges also include people smuggling. Due to the investigation, no media visits are currently authorized at the sites. Liubajevas is surprised migrants would attempt a subterranean crossing. "It takes a lot of effort to dig a tunnel and the migrants are arrested almost immediately — at most, one small group gets through," he said.
Is Minsk lending a hand? The elaborate nature of the tunnels has led him to believe the migrants aren't working alone. "They wouldn't be able to go through with this without logistical support from the Belarusian authorities, as they need a lot of material like wood to strengthen the tunnels' walls," he stressed, adding that Belarus seemingly wanted to "keep the level of tension at the border high." Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenkohas denied facilitating migration flows to neighboring states. Similar migrant tunnels were discovered in the past in neighboring Poland. Margarita Seselgyte, Director of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science at Vilnius University, seconded Liubajevas' view. "Belarus is watching its border very closely, and the country doesn't fit in the natural migration route of migrants from Afghanistan, Iran or Sri Lanka," she told DW, adding that Minsk had to at least have turned a blind eye to any digging activity taking place near the border. Some experts believe the Belarusian state is envouraging the building of tunnels across the border Image: Lithuania's State Border Guard Service Seselgyte thus sees the tunnels as "a hybrid attack to cause anxiety in our society." "There is no vacuum in the world of security. As Lithuania has been closing vulnerabilities and reinforcing its border fence, Belarus is now helping migrants pass beneath it," she said. A long-running issue at the eastern flank of Europe For her, Minsk is assisting its close ally Moscow. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 partly from Belarus, where it amassed troops under the pretext of military drills. "Lithuania has been very vocal in terms of defense against Russia, both conventional and hybrid, on an EU and Nato level, and they want to silence that voice by causing chaos in our country," the political scientist said.
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