Migrants injure Lithuanian border guard and try to drag him into Belarus
Photo: border guard on the Lithuanian-Belarusian border (Getty Images)
At the end of July, on the Lithuanian-Belarusian border, migrants attacked a border guard and attempted to push him toward the territory of Belarus. The victim sustained minor injuries and is currently on sick leave, according to the Lithuanian portal LRT.
What happened at the border
The incident occurred at the Kapčiamiestis border post of the Varėna border guard unit of the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service.
According to sources at the portal Lrytas, during a confrontation with migrants, one border guard was lightly injured — the attackers attempted to push him onto Belarusian territory.
How it began
The portal Delfi was the first to report the incident. According to its information, border guards had discovered a tunnel dug under the state border, and four officers set up an ambush.
They managed to detain several migrants and put handcuffs on them. However, during the arrest, approximately 20 foreigners attacked the border guards. The officers were forced to flee, and the illegal migrants — including those who had already been handcuffed — escaped back into Belarus. The Border Guard Service subsequently reported the discovered tunnel and the escape of the migrants, but made no mention whatsoever of the attack on its personnel.
Leadership's response
The head of the Border Guard Service, Rustamas Liubajevas, repeatedly denied that an attack on the officers had taken place — according to him, the service was unable to confirm such an occurrence. At the same time, according to journalists, he allegedly instructed the border guards on what to say about the incident. The press service declined to comment on the circumstances of the event, citing an ongoing pretrial investigation.
Investigation
Last week, prosecutors expanded and reclassified the investigation, which had been initiated on July 27 regarding the illegal crossing of the state border in that area.
The investigation will now also examine the actions of the responsible border guard officers in charge of surveillance, control, and border protection — in order to provide an objective assessment of the facts.
A few days ago, it was announced that Lithuania plans to create wetlands on the border with Belarus and Russia's Kaliningrad region— the country's Cabinet of Ministers has changed its approach to engineering measures and plans to establish a new security zone there.
Similar steps are being taken by Ukraine: earlier, it was reported that Kyiv is reinforcing defense lines along the entire length of its northern border with Belarus.
The strengthening of border measures in the region comes amid growing threats from Russia. According to the Lithuanian Defense Minister, Russian leader Vladimir Putin is already assessing scenarios for attacks on Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, though he has not yet made a final decision on such an operation.
