--- title: "Third in a month: Lithuania discovers unfinished tunnel for illegal migrants on the border with Belarus" description: "🚨 Lithuania has discovered the third tunnel in a month for illegal migrants on the border with Belarus. The tunnel was unfinished but reinforced with logs. Since the beginning of 2026 — 12 attempts to penetrate through underground passages. Ukraine: such cases are not characteristic of its border. Accusations against Lukashenko continue. #Lithuania #Belarus #Migration #Border" date: 2026-08-05T23:37:55.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/third-in-a-month-lithuania-discovers-unfinished-tunnel-for-illegal-migrants-on-the-border-with-belarus tags: [Литва, Беларусь, миграция, граница, туннель, Лукашенко, ЕС] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Third in a month: Lithuania discovers unfinished tunnel for illegal migrants on the border with Belarus ## 🎯 Key Points - Lithuania discovered the third tunnel in a month for illegal migrants on the border with Belarus - The tunnel was unfinished but reinforced with logs and boards - Since the beginning of 2026, 12 attempts to penetrate through underground passages have been recorded - Ukraine does not record similar cases on its border with Belarus - Lithuania and other Baltic countries accuse Lukashenko of organizing migration pressure The State Border Guard Service of Lithuania reported a new incident on the border with Belarus: a third underground tunnel, allegedly intended for the illegal smuggling of migrants, has been discovered in recent weeks. This event has once again intensified the debate over migration pressure on the external borders of the European Union and the role of the Belarusian leadership in organizing such schemes. ### Technical details and circumstances of discovery According to Lithuanian border guards, the tunnel was dug under the border fence at a depth of about 1.5 meters. The structure was reinforced with logs and boards, indicating an attempt to create a relatively stable passage. The length of the passage was approximately 4 meters from the Belarusian territory towards Lithuania. The entrance on the Belarusian side was masked with fabric, suggesting an attempt to hide it from visual observation. To search for underground passages, Lithuanian border guards enlisted specialists from the Polish Border Guard Service, who used specialized equipment to detect underground structures. It is important to note that the tunnel was not yet completed and did not have an exit beyond the physical barrier, so it was impossible to use it to cross the border illegally. ### Series of incidents: statistics for the last few weeks This is already the third similar case in the last few weeks. On July 23, Lithuanian border guards discovered an unfinished tunnel near the village of Peschiai, which extended about 5 meters deep into Lithuanian territory from the Belarusian side. On July 26, another unfinished underground passage about 11 meters long was found near the village of Pertak. Since the beginning of 2026, Lithuanian border guards have recorded 12 attempts to illegally enter the country through underground passages under the state border. These data indicate the systematic nature of attempts to organize illegal transit across the border. ### Reaction of Ukrainian colleagues: contrast in approaches In a comment to the LIGA.net publication, Andriy Demchenko, a representative of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, noted that such cases are not characteristic of the Ukrainian-Belarusian border. This highlights the regional specificity of the problem: if Lithuania faces regular attempts to create underground crossings, Ukraine has not yet recorded similar incidents on its section of the border with Belarus. ### Political context: accusations against Lukashenko Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland have been accusing Alexander Lukashenko's regime of organizing migration pressure on the external border of the European Union for several years. These accusations are based on numerous incidents when migrants from the Middle East and Asia were brought to Belarusian territory and then directed to the EU borders with the aim of illegal crossing. At the same time, Belarus remains a key ally of Russia in the war against Ukraine: it provides territory for Russia to produce weapons and use oil refineries. This dual status — as a partner of Russia and as a source of migration pressure on the EU — makes the situation around the Belarusian-Lithuanian border particularly complex and politicized. ### Legal consequences and further actions In connection with the illegal crossing of the state border, Lithuanian law enforcement agencies have initiated a pre-trial investigation. After the completion of investigative actions, the tunnel was filled with earth to prevent its possible use in the future. ### Contradictory data There is a difference in the assessment of the scale of the problem between the countries of the region. Lithuania records systematic attempts to create underground passages, while Ukraine, according to Andriy Demchenko, does not face similar cases on its section of the border. This may indicate that migration pressure is concentrated mainly on the Lithuanian direction, or on differences in monitoring and detection methods for such structures. Furthermore, there is no consensus on who exactly is organizing the construction of these tunnels. Lithuania and other Baltic countries accuse the Belarusian authorities, however, direct evidence of the involvement of official Belarusian structures in these actions has not yet been presented. ### Conclusions and prospects The discovery of the third tunnel in a month on the border of Lithuania and Belarus indicates the continuing activity of illegal networks using underground routes to cross the border. Strengthening cooperation between the border guards of the Baltic states and Poland, as well as the use of specialized equipment, allow for the effective detection of such attempts. However, the political context remains tense. Accusations against the Belarusian leadership require further international investigations and diplomatic efforts. At the same time, the contrast in the approaches of Ukraine and Lithuania to the problem of migration pressure indicates the need for a deeper analysis of regional features and the development of differentiated border protection strategies. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [undefined](undefined) - [undefined](undefined)