Ukraine sends aid to Lithuania to strengthen protection of its borders from illegal migrants

"More than 38 tonnes of humanitarian cargo left Ukraine for Lithuania today, August 12. This is the first stage of assistance out of three, which Ukraine sends in accordance with a decree of President Volodymyr Zelensky and an order of the Cabinet of Ministers," the report reads.

The assistance will help strengthen the protection of Lithuania's borders from illegal migrants.

"The cargo is accompanied by a group of employees of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, who must hand it over to the representatives of the State Border Guard Service at the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania," the report reads.

In late May, Alexander Lukashenko stated that Minsk would no longer detain illegal immigrants trying to enter the European Union through Belarus. In early July, Vilnius declared a nationwide state of emergency in the country. Lithuania was the first country to accuse Minsk of "hybrid aggression."

According to the Lithuanian Interior Ministry, more than 4,000 migrants have illegally crossed the border with Belarus since the beginning of 2021. This is several times more than in 2020. The migrants include many citizens of Iraq, Iran, and Syria. Flights from Iraq to Minsk were suspended in early August.

Lithuanian border guards were then given the authority not to allow illegal migrants across the border in unauthorized places, including by using force.

op