Lithuanian border guards have uncovered an unfinished smuggling tunnel burrowing from Belarus beneath the frontier fence, the latest in a string of underground passages detected along the EU's eastern edge.
The camouflaged passage stretched roughly four metres into Lithuanian territory at a depth of about 1.5 metres, shored up with logs and wooden planks but lacked an exit. Officers from the State Border Guard Service located it with specialised electronic equipment supplied by Polish counterparts, and the passage was filled in after investigators finished their work. It had never been used for crossings.
The discovery follows two similar tunnels found in late July near the villages of Piesciai and Pertakas, bringing the year's total recorded tunnel attempts to twelve. Interior Minister Martynas Katelynas has ordered an internal inquiry into border operations, while Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius criticised delays in publicly reporting a separate incident involving border guards. Vilnius also plans to relocate emergency stockpiles of food and fuel away from the Belarusian border by 2027.