Putin-backed 'human mole' smugglers are digging secret tunnels under the EU border to send thousands of migrants towards Britain

From the Newshound archive · first published 10 October 2026.

Latvian and Lithuanian officials believe the operation is being deliberately orchestrated by Vladimir Putin and Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko to weaponise migration and destabilise NATO. Footage captured by journalists shows 18 migrants, mostly Afghan, crawling through a 50ft earthen passage before bolting into forest near Kabeliai, southern Lithuania. Lithuania has blocked over 26,000 crossing attempts from Belarus since 2021, with nearly 12,000 stopped this year alone.

Lithuania's Interior Minister Martynas Katelynas warned: 'Tunnels dug under the state border are becoming an unlawful alternative for entering Lithuania illegally.'

In July, a smuggling gang carrying sticks and stones poured through a tunnel and set upon border guards, beating one officer and attempting to drag another back into Belarus.

Latvian border officials say migrants are 'freely walking' on the Belarusian side of the fence in what they describe as a state-facilitated operation.