The territories of Lithuania, Poland, and Belarus meet at the Kapčiamiestis checkpoint. Here, the border guards say that more and more Belarusians fleeing the regime of Alexander Lukashenko are trying to enter Lithuania.
The Kapčiamiestis checkpoint became a hot point at the start of the migrant crisis last year, with the highest number of crossings from Belarus recorded there.
According to Algis Kisielius, the commander of the Kapčiamiestis border checkpoint, 2,700 irregular migrants were detained here last year, compared to 250 this year.
Cooperation with Poles
“Last week, we recorded 36 irregular migrants. We spotted them on the Belarusian side, they approached the border, but then, they went deeper into the territory of Belarus,” Kisielius told LRT.lt.
In his words, the number of migrants attempting to cross from Belarus has decreased, as migrants are deterred by the physical barrier at the border, as well as the newly installed CCTV cameras and other detection technology.
According to Valdas Judzevičius, a specialist at the border checkpoint, the sharing of information about the physical barrier and pushbacks among the migrants has also had an impact on the decrease in migrant flows.
“Social media does its job. The message that it’s not so easy to cross our border is spreading. Besides, not everyone can stay in the forest in the cold and the rain, especially with small children,” he said.
Judzevičius noted that cooperation between Lithuanian and Polish border guards has intensified in the wake of the migrant crisis.
“Now, we regularly see Polish border guards patrolling along the border crossing. There is also a physical barrier on the Polish side, so we have more deterrence and fewer detentions of migrants,” the specialist said.
“We have had a few cases when groups of 24 people come to the sign of the three countries and try to sneak through our border to the Polish side. But we record everything and pass the information on to the Polish officials,” he added.
Ladder for 250 dollars
According to Kisielius, the construction of the physical barrier and installation of CCTV cameras have significantly reduced the need for officers to physically patrol the border.
“Now, we have both a physical barrier and CCTV cameras, so we record the movement at the border and react to it,” he said.
Asked what kind of incidents the officials react to most often, they mention irregular migration from Belarus and the breaking of the physical barrier. According to the border guards, migrants are becoming more and more inventive in their efforts to cross the border.
“Migrants carry ladders and try to climb over the physical barrier. They also carry scissors to cut the fence,” Judzevičius said.
Kisielius, the commander of the Kapčiamiestis checkpoint, added that the migrants tell all sorts of stories about how they acquire such tools.
“Where did you get the ladder? The migrants say they called a taxi to bring them the ladder. They said they paid 250 dollars for it,” he remembered.
The border guards say they are convinced that Belarusian officials are helping the migrants to overcome the physical barrier. However, it is not easy to prove.
“In other checkpoints, it has been recorded that the fence is cut by masked men, usually in groups of three or four. Since they’re wearing masks, it’s impossible to identify them,” Kisielius said.
According to him, the Belarusian border guards refuse to communicate with Lithuanian officials and ignore their messages.
“Recently, we observed a migrant sitting at a border sign for several days. We reported him to the Belarusian side, but there was no reaction, they never came,” the commander shared.
Belarusians coming by river
In Kisielius’ words, the border guards have recently noticed a new trend – Belarusians fleeing the Lukashenko regime are arriving in Lithuania in greater numbers.
“Most of the Belarusians arrive in wetsuits via the Nemunas river. If we don’t notice them, they look for us to ask for asylum. They usually present some documents proving that they were convicted,” said the commander of the Kapčiamiestis checkpoint.
According to the checkpoint specialist Judzevičius, Belarusians fleeing the regime are usually convicted for participating in protests in Belarus or for various critical comments about the government on the internet.
“One Belarusian showed a court order stating that he was convicted for making comments about Lukashenko. He wrote that ‘we’re a long way from Washington with a president like Lukashenko’ and was sentenced to several years in prison,” Judzevičius said.
According to the border guards, they interview Belarusians seeking asylum in Lithuania, take their documents, and pass them on to other institutions. The Migration Department is responsible for deciding whether to grant them asylum.
The officials say that those fleeing the Lukashenko regime are of all ages and backgrounds, including students and theatre managers.
Asked if Russians fleeing mobilisation try to enter Lithuania, the border guards say they have not recorded any such cases.
“Maybe it’s easier for the Russians to go to Georgia and then go somewhere else? There has been a lot of publicity about us and our attitude towards mobilisation in Russia. The information spreads on social media, it reaches the Russians, and they are hesitant to come here,” Kisielius said.
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