Irregular migrants pelted Lithuanian border guards with stones, damaging their SUV after being prevented from entering the country, the State Border Guard Service (VSAT) reported on Friday.
The incident took place on Thursday night in Lazdijai District, along the Lithuanian-Belarusian border by the Mara River. A physical barrier on the Lithuanian side near the border is in place to prevent unauthorised crossings.
According to VSAT, a group of 14 migrants approached from Belarus carrying ladders and attempted to climb over the fence, which is more than four metres tall on the Lithuanian side and topped with concertina wire.
Border guards from the Kapčiamiestis Frontier Station spotted the group via surveillance and arrived in their Toyota Land Cruiser SUV. The migrants fled back to Belarus upon seeing the guards, abandoning their ladder, which was later taken by border guards.
The VSAT commented on the incident, saying “the failure to storm the Lithuanian border made them furious."
"After walking along the border for a while, they soon turned up in another open area near Mara. Aggressive and insolent migrants from the territory of Belarus started throwing stones towards Lithuania in order to injure the border guards and damage their vehicle,” VSAT said.
One stone struck the left front wing of the SUV, denting it. No border guards were injured during the attack.
The VSAT said the group mainly comprised men aged between 20 and 40.
This is not the first time migrants have thrown stones, sticks, and cursed at border guards after being prevented from entering Lithuania illegally, the VSAT added.
So far this year, Lithuanian border guards have stopped 917 irregular migrants from crossing from Belarus via non-designated areas.
In Poland and Latvia, these figures are 15,213 and 6,078, respectively.
Since the start of the migration crisis caused by Belarus in summer 2021, more than 180,000 unauthorised entries have been prevented into Lithuania, Poland, and Latvia.
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