Armed Individuals From Belarus Threaten Latvian Soldiers at Border, Followed by Another Breach
Latvian officials said 20 migrants were pushed toward the border as soldiers were threatened and surveillance cameras were stolen.
- On Wednesday, armed, masked individuals on the Belarusian side threatened National Armed Forces soldiers while guiding 20 migrants toward Latvia. Latvian troops prevented the crossing.
- Authorities in Europe have previously blamed Belarus for instrumentalizing migrants, alleging officials deliberately guide people to the border as part of a state-orchestrated campaign. This tactic escalated tensions along the frontier.
- Several hours after the confrontation, masked individuals entered Latvia, damaged an electrical distribution panel, and stole surveillance cameras. They returned to Belarus before border guards arrived.
- Latvian Interior Minister Janis Dombrava warned that incidents like these could have serious consequences for Belarus. Dombrava demanded accountability for the armed threat against the National Armed Forces.
- Border guards regularly prevent migrants from entering Latvia and Lithuanian territory from Belarus. These armed provocations suggest an ongoing hybrid campaign targeting the NATO-aligned Baltic region.
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In Latvia, three masked people with weapons tried to smuggle migrants into the country. The illegal border crossing attempt was prevented by armed forces, the army in Riga reported. The provocation "was particularly demonstrative and aggressive."
Armed people accompanying 20 migrants and trying to help them illegally cross the border from Belarus to Latvia threatened Latvian soldiers before another group soon crossed the border, Latvian Interior Minister Janis Dombrava revealed.
Armed men have tried to drive migrants from Belarus to the EU. It is by no means the first provocative action in the border area. Now there is a drastic step to protect the border in the area.
The Latvian military estimates that Belarus continues to use illegal immigration as a tool for hybrid warfare in Latvia.
Latvia is wary of the influx of migrants at its gates, prompted by the Kremlin to cross the border. Belarus had already been at the origin of this type of interference in 2021. "The Latvians defend our border, that of Europe", LCI launches the great reporter Gallagher Fenwick. (International).
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