Lithuania to acquire technology to detect tunnels used by illegal migrants

Lithuanian Interior Minister Martynas Katėlinas said the country will acquire technology that will allow border guards to more effectively detect attempts to dig underground tunnels for illegal border crossings, LRT reported.

According to the minister, Lithuania recently tested equipment provided by Poland. The technology detects ground vibrations caused by excavation work and has already helped uncover one of the tunnels that was being prepared.

"Last week we tested technology borrowed from the Poles that makes it possible to detect digging attempts. It works — it was used to detect the very tunnel that was reported. Therefore, we will acquire this technology, and border guards will be able to use it," Katėlinas said on LNK television.

The minister noted that recently "more than a dozen attempts" to build tunnels had been identified at the border, although only a few such structures were completed. All discovered tunnels were eliminated.

"The problem exists. At first, when there was no barrier, they tried to cross directly; then a fence appeared, and they began trying to climb over it; then other measures appeared. Now they are trying to bypass obstacles from below. For every restriction, they try to find a way around it," the interior minister said.

Earlier, Lithuania's State Border Guard Service (VSAT) reported the discovery of an unfinished underground tunnel in the Lazdijai district, near the village of Pertak. It was detected thanks to vibrations on the ground surface. After the necessary procedures were carried out, the tunnel was filled in.

In June, a similar case occurred in the Varėna district. At that time, border guards and police discovered a tunnel through which, presumably, two groups of migrants totaling several dozen people were able to enter Lithuanian territory. Another group of migrants was stopped at the end of July after a new excavation site was discovered in the south of the country.

VSAT commander Rustamas Liubajevas had previously noted that such cases have become more frequent recently, although successful attempts to infiltrate unnoticed through tunnels remain isolated incidents.

Katėlinas also said that the situation with secondary illegal migration from Latvia is gradually improving. According to him, Latvia is directing significant resources toward strengthening its external border.

"The numbers are falling now, and I think that sooner or later we will solve this problem. The borders of Poland, Lithuania and Latvia with Belarus will be protected," the minister said.

At the same time, in the first half of 2026, the flow of so-called secondary migration from Latvia increased significantly. According to BNS, over six months the number of foreigners trying to enter Lithuania through Latvia rose from just over 300 to more than 1,400.

According to VSAT, since the beginning of the year, more than 8,000 migrants trying to enter Latvia have been detained and returned to Belarus or stopped while still on Belarusian territory. This is several times higher than the number of attempts to cross the border illegally directly from Belarus into Lithuania.

Since the start of the migration crisis triggered by Belarus in 2021, Lithuanian border guards have prevented more than 25,600 foreigners from entering the country illegally.