Belarus–European Union border crisis

The Belarus–European Union border crisis was a migrant crisis in 2021 consisting of an influx of coordinated groups of immigrants, mostly from the Middle East and North Africa, to Poland, Lithuania and Latvia via those countries' borders with Belarus. The crisis was artificially caused by Belarus in response to the severe deterioration in Belarus–European Union relations, following the 2020 Belarusian presidential election, the 2020–2021 Belarusian protests, the Ryanair Flight 4978 hijacking and subsequent sanctions on Belarus, as well as the attempted forced repatriation of Olympic sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya from Tokyo, Japan.

On July 7, 2021, Belarus's dictator Alexander Lukashenko threatened to "flood" the EU with "drugs and migrants". Belarusian authorities and state-controlled travel agencies, together with some airlines operating in the Middle East, started advertising tours to Belarus and falsely promoting opportunities of easy entry into the European Union. Those who arrived in Belarus, most of whom were trying to reach Germany, were then given instructions about how and where to cross the EU's border, and what to tell the border guards on the other side of it. Migrants said that Belarus provided them with wire cutters and axes to cut through border barriers and enter the EU. However, those who did not manage to cross were often forced to stay on the border by Belarusian authorities, who were accused of assaulting migrants who failed to get across. Belarus has repeatedly refused entry to Polish convoys carrying humanitarian aid for migrants.

Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia have described the crisis as human trafficking and hybrid warfare waged by Belarus against the EU. The three countries declared a state of emergency and announced their intentions to build border walls. The EU sent supporting officers and patrol cars to Lithuania, and 12 EU governments stated their support for a physical barrier along the border. Lithuania completed the 502 km (312 mi) barrier in August 2022 and the modern surveillance equipment was installed by the end of the year.

Human Rights Watch accused Belarusian authorities of manufacturing the crisis and state-level mass exploitation of migrants, making Belarusian border guards responsible for violence, inhuman and degrading treatment and use of coercion against migrants. Other human rights organizations and academics voiced concerns over the use of migrant pushbacks by Lithuanian, Latvian and Polish border guards, the denial of the possibility to lodge an asylum claim, as well as inadequate food, water, and shelter for the migrants, the latter of which was a subject of a European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) order. Polish officials have additionally been criticised for not allowing journalists, doctors, and non-governmental organizations to the border. At the same time, human rights organisations have been criticized for downplaying the threat to the security of the countries under attack, unrealistic approach and offering no alternative but open borders.