The European Border and Coast Guard Agency Frontex believes that Belarusian state structures may be involved in the construction of tunnels through which migrants enter EU countries. WDR and NDR reported this, citing an internal agency analysis obtained by them, Tagesschau.de reports.
“Such tunnels would not be built on the Belarusian side of the border without the knowledge and support of the Belarusian security services,” an excerpt from the document says.
It also cannot be ruled out that the Belarusian authorities may involve both specialists and migrants themselves in the construction. Frontex believes the tunnels may continue to be used.
A week earlier, Latvian authorities discovered a tunnel on the border with Belarus for the first time, near the closed Silene border crossing. An estimated 15 migrants may have entered Latvia through it.
Several tunnels have also been discovered since last year on Belarus’ borders with Lithuania and Poland. In 2026 alone, five such structures were identified in Lithuania. According to Frontex, at least 86 citizens of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and India entered the country through three of them. Two more tunnels were discovered while still under construction.
The agency notes that the number of irregular crossings of the EU’s external borders on the eastern route is nevertheless declining. In the first half of 2026, Frontex recorded 3,209 cases of irregular border crossings, 44% fewer than in the same period last year.
However, Frontex believes that migration pressure from Belarus has not eased. After Poland, Lithuania and Latvia strengthened border controls, including by building barriers, Belarusian services began using more sophisticated methods to assist migrants, the authors note. For the agency, the tunnels are a sign that Belarus is adapting to the new situation.
“It should be assumed that the tunnels will be used as long as Belarus’ instrumentalized migration pressure persists,” the internal analysis says.
According to the internal analysis, most attempts to cross the border from Belarus now take place on the Latvian route, while the number of attempts on the Lithuanian and Polish routes has declined significantly.
