Belarus is illegally sending migrants to Lithuania and Poland in response to these governments’ outspoken criticism of Lukashenko’s crackdown on the opposition. This cynical strategy is prompting the EU to forge its own short-sighted migration policy.
Protests in Belarus
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Judy Dempsey: Europe’s new walls
Migrants are seen through fences as they sit on the ground in a camp near the border town of Kapciamiestis, Lithuania, on July 18, 2021. - Lithuania has seen more than 2,000 arrivals since the start of the year across the border from Belarus. Most of the migrants are from Iraq and Lithuanian officials suspect the influx is being orchestrated by the Russia-backed Belarusian regime as retaliation against EU sanctions.
