And now, there is proof of that.
A helicopter patrol, operating under the auspices of the Frontex (European Border and Coast Guard Agency) on the Lithuanian-Belarusian border, detected another group of illegal immigrants. It would not be unusual taking into account recent events and the escalation of migration in this part of Europe. Still, the published video also shows the moment when illegal immigrants are somehow led to the border in the company of a vehicle and people traveling with it. Then the two groups split up, and illegal immigrants go to the territory of Lithuania, and the car returns deep into Belarus. The vehicle was recognized as one that is used by Belarusian border guards daily. According to the Delfi portal, the incident took place in the vicinity of the Lithuanian city of Soleczniki. It is just another proof that Belarus is deliberately hitting the border of Lithuania in a way that is both open and even grotesquely transparent. We can safely assume that it is happening, at least to some extent, in cooperation with Russia and its policy towards the entire region.
To make it worse, the regime in Minsk repeatedly hints that armed Islamic terrorists may also be among the "immigrants."
It actually looks like Belarus is escalating the problem by expanding the network of connections with Iraq. The Iraqis constitute the core of the current hybrid activities aimed at the security of Lithuania's borders and its internal stability. They can fly to Belarus from Baghdad and - as journalists from Delfi suggest - from Basra and Irbil. It is also said that the airports in Sulaymaniyah and Najaf will soon join the network of connections. The flights are operated by Iraqi Airways and another airline, Fly Baghdad. It is worth adding that the Iraqi authorities and the international airport authorities in Baghdad deny that they are turning a blind eye to the illegal transfers of immigrants to Belarus. In addition, Lithuanians also intercept migrants from Cameroon, Congo, Syria, and Iran.
In the coming years, Lithuania is determined to physically strengthen the protection of its own border with Belarus. There is talk of the possibility of creating a stationary border barrier, the core of which would be a fence four meters high (+/- 12ft).
(I am sorry about the title. I couldn't help myself. I wanted to see if FB censors are awake.)