Lithuanian authorities say they have uncovered a suspected cross-border tunnel extending from Belarus towards Lithuania, in what they believe may have been an attempt to facilitate irregular migration, local news agency LRT reported.

Authorities found the suspected tunnel last Wednesday (July 22) after detecting "vibrations in the ground indicating that an underground tunnel might be being dug from the Belarusian side," LRT cited the country's State Border Guard Service (VSAT) as saying. The incident has raised concerns that excavation work was underway beneath the border in Lithuania's southeastern Varena district.

Together with Polish border officials, specialized tunnel-detection equipment was deployed to investigate the area. After carrying out exploratory drilling, they said they located an underground passage that had been dug from the Belarusian side but had not yet broken through into Lithuanian territory. The tunnel measures approximately one meter in diameter and lies around 1.5 meters below the surface, authorities said.

An investigation has been launched to find out who was responsible for constructing the tunnel and whether it has any ties to organized cross-border smuggling networks.

Lithuania and neighboring Poland have previously uncovered similar underground tunnels along their borders with Belarus. In past cases, the passages are said to have been used to smuggle people, tobacco and other illicit goods across the frontier.

Read AlsoLatvia: Guards use tear gas, fire warning shot to prevent crossing from Belarus

Latvia and Poland also accuse Belarus of so-called migrant tunnels

Meanwhile in neighboring Latvia, soldiers used tear gas and fired a warning shot to stop migrants attempting to enter from Belarus, the army announced also last Wednesday. The country's prime minister, Andris Kulbergs, had said Latvians were increasingly concerned about the rising number of migrants trying to cross the border.

All three EU countries, Latvia, Poland, and Lithuania, have accused the Belarus authorities and their ally Russia of orchestrating migrants from Asia and Africa in attempts to destabilize countries on NATO's eastern flank, in response to EU political and economic measures such as sanctions. Authorities in Minsk and Moscow have repeatedly denied the allegations.

The Latvian army said on X that "five or more migrants acted aggressively and threw logs at soldiers as they attempted to enter Latvia."

"To halt the unlawful actions and prevent further escalation of the situation, soldiers used tear gas," it added. "As the individuals continued to ignore the officials' lawful demands and maintained aggressive behavior, one warning shot was fired into the air, after which the individuals retreated to Belarusian territory."

According to Latvia's Prime Minister, the number of migrants attempting to enter Latvia from Belarus has doubled in recent weeks, but did not give exact figures. He described the situation as a "hybrid threat," which has prompted Latvia to double the number of border guards deployed along the frontier.

"We have a serious situation... we have used way more resources than we were anticipating," Kulbergs said.

The conservative, right-leaning Latvian leader accused migration of causing disruption in the Baltic country, and added that Lithuanian and Estonian border guards, as well as the Latvian army, are helping secure the border.

In December 2025, Poland said more than 180 migrants crossed into the country, also through what was believed to be a tunnel hidden in a forest along the border with Belarus.

Latvia has also accused leaderships in Belarus and Russia of flying people in from Asia and Africa and attempting to push them across the border.

With Reuters and AP