Lithuanian troops to continue to protect high-risk border areas

VILNIUS - Permanent military forces will continue to guard the border in the riskiest sections of the Lithuanian-Belarusian border, the Lithuanian army said on Wednesday.

With 68 votes in favor, five against and 26 abstentions, Lithuanian lawmakers on Tuesday voted in favor of extending the state of emergency but it will only be in place at Lithuania's borders with Russia and Belarus until December 16. Currently, the state of emergency is in place across the country until September 15.

Under an agreement with the Ministry of the Interior, troops will continue their work on the border, the army said.

In response to last year's influx of illegal migrants from Belarus, a physical barrier of about 550 km was completed in late August and it includes a fence and razor wire.

Lithuania accuses the Minsk regime of orchestrating illegal migration and calls it a hybrid attack.

In total, more than 14,600 illegal migrants have been denied entry from Belarus to Lithuania since August 3, 2021 when the State Border Guard Service was granted the right to turn illegal migrants away. Some foreigners have tried to enter the country more than once.

Last year, almost 4,200 migrants entered Lithuania illegally from Belarus.