In the summer of 2021, dozens, and later hundreds, of people started illegally crossing the Lithuanian border from Belarus every day. As a result, Lithuania reinforced its border protection, building a metal fence and a barbed-wire barrier and assigning troops to help the border guards. 

Lithuania and the European Union say that this is a “hybrid attack” orchestrated by the Minsk regime, which has taken advantage of the desire of thousands of people to reach Western Europe and have a safer and better life there.

This is the story of two people – one guarding the border, the other crossing it illegally – and the circumstances that have led to the intersection of their lives.

I Remember His Look: The Story of a Soldier and a Migrant won the Gold Award for Best Documentary at Third Coast International Audio Festival (2023) and was presented at IFC Audiodocs 2022

Produced by Sigita Vegytė.

Editors Vaida Pilibaitytė and Adomas Zubė.

English translation by Ieva Žvinakytė

Sigita Vegytė is a Lithuanian radio journalist and documentary producer. She has worked as a news reporter and produced and presented programmes on foreign affairs and science for the Lithuanian national broadcaster LRT. In 2019 she joined an award-winning team producing radio documentaries for LRT RADIJAS.

To hear more work (with subtitles) from LRT visit their website here.