Illegal migrants from Asia and Africa who are attempting to get into Lithuania from neighboring Belarus have changed their tactics trying to cross the border in small groups, Commander of the State Border Guard Service, General Rustamas Liubajevas told the LRT national radio station on Monday, APA reports citing TASS.

“A change in strategy was noted with agents from Belarusian security forces pushing small – [numbering] three-five people – groups of migrants to the border that are more difficult to detect and turn back to Belarus,” he said.

Since the onset of the migrant crisis, with its pinnacle in May and over the summer, groups of migrants attempting to cross the border have numbered from several dozen to one hundred people.

Over the past 24 hours, Lithuanian border guards, and the military assisting them, have prevented 70 migrants from illicitly crossing the border. Two individuals were allowed into Lithuania for humanitarian purposes. Those were Belarusian citizens who asked for political asylum. Lately, there were no Belarusians among the migrants.

Source: Azeri-Press News Agency