Full Breakdown
Tunnel Discoveries Reveal Belarus-Linked Migration Routes into the EU
8/21/2026, 9:48:15 PM
Core Event
In August 2026 Latvian border guards uncovered a 20-metre underground tunnel near the closed Silene crossing that had been used by 28 migrants to enter Latvia from Belarus. A second tunnel was found on 10 August, through which 15 migrants entered. In Lithuania, a similar tunnel was discovered on 11 August, leading to the detention of 15 migrants; a later confrontation on 15 August left a Lithuanian border guard lightly injured after migrants allegedly tried to force him back across the border.
Background & Context
Irregular migration through Belarus into the EU began in 2021 after President Aliaksandr Lukashenka threatened to facilitate migrants and drugs in response to sanctions. Latvia, with about 2 million people, stopped nearly 10 000 illegal entries in the first eight months of 2026, up from 12 000 for the whole of 2025. The Baltic states view their borders with Belarus and Russia as external EU frontiers, prompting heightened security ahead of Latvia’s parliamentary election on 3 October.
Official Statements & Responses
- Guntis Pujats, Chief of the Latvian State Border Guard, said the tunnels are part of a “systematic unlawful activity” involving Belarusian officials.
- Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics noted that the Baltic and Polish borders with Belarus and Russia are EU external borders.
- The Latvian Prosecutor General opened a criminal case in July against Belarusian border officials, describing the activity as a “criminal organisation.”
- Latvia completed a fence along its Belarusian border last year and expects to finish additional technological upgrades by the end of 2026. A bilateral agreement to receive extra border guard personnel from Poland is slated for signing this month.
- Rustamas Liubajevas, commander of Lithuania’s State Border Guard Service, disputed reports of an attack on 15 August, saying the service could not confirm such an incident.
On-the-Ground Reports
Lithuanian broadcaster LRT reported that roughly 20 migrants assaulted border guards near the Kapciamiestis post after the tunnel discovery, forcing officers to retreat. One officer sustained minor injuries and was placed on medical leave. Lithuanian prosecutors have expanded the investigation opened on 27 July to examine officials responsible for border surveillance.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- Lithuanian authorities initially described the 15 August tunnel discovery without mentioning violence, while later reports indicated a confrontation. Commander Liubajevas has denied confirmation of an attack, creating a discrepancy between media accounts and official statements.
- Frontex’s analysis suggests Belarusian security services are involved in tunnel construction, but direct state participation remains unverified in public sources.
Criticism & Opposition
Igor Sekreta, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus, argued that European welfare policies create a “magnet” for migrants and contrasted this with Belarus’s requirement that migrants work and pay taxes. He claimed migrants arriving in Belarus are “legal tourists” and that EU border practices force people to use “green borders,” allegedly assisted by some Lithuanian and Polish actors.
What’s Next
Latvia expects to finalize border-fence upgrades by the end of 2026 and to formalize personnel support from Poland within August. Lithuanian prosecutors continue to investigate the tunnel incidents, and Frontex warns tunnels will remain in use while “instrumentalised migration pressure” from Belarus persists.
