Lithuania pushes over around 30 migrants back, allows one in on humanitarian grounds

Lithuanian border guards have in the past 24 hours turned away around 30 migrants attempting to cross into country from Belarus illegally and allowed one person in on humanitarian grounds, the State Border Guard Service said on Friday morning.

The push-backs occurred in the districts of Ignalina and Vilnius.

No border incidents have been reported in the past 24 hours, Rokas Pukinskas, spokesman for the service, said.

Lithuanian officers patrolling the border saw signal flares launched and heard several single shots fired in Belarus' territory, according to the press release.

Over 4,100 migrants have crossed into Lithuania from Belarus illegally so far this year, compared to 81 in all of 2020.

Lithuania has declared a state-level extreme situation over the unprecedented migration influx which it says is being orchestrated by the Belarusian regime.