---
title: "Kallas accused Minsk of using tunnels and migration as weapons of pressure on Lithuania and the EU"
description: "EU High Representative Kaja Kallas accused Minsk of using illegal migration and tunnels as weapons of pressure on Lithuania and the EU, calling for accelerating the \"Eastern Flank\" initiative."
date: 2026-09-09T02:26:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/kallas-accused-belarus-of-migration-pressure-on-eu
tags: [belarus, lithuania, migration, eu, kaja-kallas, border-security]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Kallas accused Minsk of using tunnels and migration as weapons of pressure on Lithuania and the EU

![Каллас обвинила Минск в использовании тоннелей и миграции как оружия давления на Литву и ЕС](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/09/kallas-obvinila-belarus-v-migracionnom-davlenii-na-es/kallas-obvinila-belarus-v-migracionnom-davlenii-na-es-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- Kaja Kallas accused the Lukashenko regime of using illegal migration as a tool of pressure on Europe and Lithuania.
- Since the start of 2026, the Lithuanian border service has recorded 12 attempts to penetrate through tunnels from Belarus, with the third in August.
- Kallas called for accelerating the "Eastern Flank" initiative, cooperating with NATO and continuing sanctions.
- Lithuania plans to create wetlands and a new security zone on the border with Belarus and the Kaliningrad region.

Kaja Kallas, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, publicly accused Alexander Lukashenko's regime of using illegal migration as a tool of political pressure on Europe, naming Lithuania as one of the key targets of such activity. According to RBC-Ukraine, she wrote this in a post on the social network X. In Kallas's words, the security of Lithuania's borders is a "shared European responsibility," and European countries must stand up to the use of migration as a weapon by supporting EU states that face the actions of the Belarusian regime.

### Tunnels as a sign of organized support

The central argument in Kallas's statement was the migrant-smuggling infrastructure. She noted that "the sophistication of the tunnels used to smuggle migrants indicates organized support and is strong evidence that Minsk is aiding this effort." The context confirms the scale: as late as August 2026, a third attempt to dig a tunnel from Belarus into Lithuania was recorded, and since the beginning of the year the Lithuanian border service has already counted 12 attempts to enter the country illegally through underground passages being dug from Belarusian territory.

### "Eastern Flank," sanctions and engineering measures

In response to the described actions, Kallas called for accelerating the implementation of the "Eastern Flank Watch" initiative, working closely with NATO, and continuing sanctions pressure on Minsk. Meanwhile, as previously reported, Lithuania is changing its approach to engineering measures on the border: the country's Cabinet of Ministers plans to establish a new security zone, including by creating wetlands on the border with Belarus and Russia's Kaliningrad region.

### Contradictory data

The parties' assessments show a notable divergence in interpreting what is happening. Official Vilnius and Brussels, relying on Kallas's statements, interpret the network of tunnels as evidence of state-organized support for migrant smuggling by Minsk. At the same time, there is no independent public confirmation of the specific mechanisms of such support in the provided materials — the conclusion about "organized support" is the assessment of a European official. Meanwhile, Russian commentators, according to gazeta.ru and life.ru, present the migration pressure not as an independent Minsk strategy, but as a tool capable of distracting the EU from the sanctions agenda and drawing it "seriously" into the conflict. Thus, one side sees a deliberate state program, the other a diversionary tactic, and the factual base (tunnels, border-crossing attempts) is interpreted differently.

### Context: a long-standing practice of pressure

The issue of Minsk using migration to pressure EU countries is not new: in previous years Lithuania, Latvia and Poland have repeatedly accused the Belarusian authorities of organizing flows of migrants toward their borders. Kallas's statement fits into this long-term dynamic and, in her words, records an escalation in the form of a shift from ground-level flows to underground infrastructure, which, from the EU's perspective, requires accelerated collective measures on the "eastern flank."

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Kallas accused Lukashenko of using migration as a weapon](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/kallas-zvinuvatila-lukashenka-vikoristanni-1788920567.html) - Первичный источник: цитата Каи Каллас из публикации в X, обвинение в использовании миграции как оружия, упоминание тоннелей, инициативы «Восточный фланг» и санкций.
- ["The EU is fighting in earnest": in Russia, Kallas's threats of new sanctions were commented on](https://www.gazeta.ru/politics/news/2026/08/17/29119531.shtml) - Контекст российской реакции на санкционные заявления Каллас; используется для блока о расхождении интерпретаций сторон.
- [Politologist Trukhaev: Only the migration crisis can distract the EU from sanctions](https://life.ru/p/1912776) - Оценочная позиция политолога о миграционном давлении как инструменте отвлечения ЕС; подкреплает блок «Противоречивые данные».

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: What exactly did Kaja Kallas say about Belarus?
**A:** Kallas stated that the Lukashenko regime is using illegal migration as a tool of pressure on Europe, particularly on Lithuania, and that, in her words, the sophisticated network of tunnels for smuggling migrants indicates organized support from Minsk.

### Q: How many tunnel penetration attempts has Lithuania recorded?
**A:** Since the start of 2026, the Lithuanian border service has recorded 12 attempts to enter the country illegally through underground passages from Belarusian territory; in August alone, a third such attempt was recorded.

### Q: What EU and Lithuanian measures are mentioned in response?
**A:** Kallas called for accelerating the implementation of the "Eastern Flank Watch" initiative, working closely with NATO and continuing sanctions pressure. Lithuania, for its part, plans to create wetlands and a new security zone on the border with Belarus and Russia's Kaliningrad region.