Latvia finds tunnel under Belarus border, vows to combat people smugglers
The new security operation will add troops, drones and vehicle checks as Latvia says criminal networks are driving irregular migration from Belarus.
- On Tuesday, Latvia discovered a migrant tunnel under the Belarus border and Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs announced the launch of security operation 'Vilkatis,' or 'Werewolf,' to strengthen border controls.
- Kulbergs described the migration surge as a 'hybrid threat' orchestrated by Russia and Belarus, noting it marks the fifth year since hostilities began at the eastern frontier.
- Interior Minister Janis Dombrava announced intensified drone surveillance and vehicle checks along the border, following the detection of 15 people who illegally crossed through the newly exposed tunnel.
- Latvia is coordinating with Estonia, Lithuania, and Poland to curb secondary migration flows and block criminal networks facilitating transit into the borderless Schengen area.
- The government frames the eastern frontier as a broader security challenge for NATO and the European Union, aiming to prevent Minsk from exploiting migration to destabilize the region.
61 Articles
61 Articles
Latvia's authorities have discovered a tunnel that allowed migrants from neighbouring Belarus to enter the EU country.
Latvia's border guard has arrested 15 people who have arrived illegally. In July, a tunnel between Belarus and Lithuania was discovered.
(Brussels=Yonhap News) Correspondent Hyun Yun-kyung = In Latvia, which shares a 173km border with Russia's ally Belarus, an underground tunnel constructed to allow migrants to enter...
Latvian border guards have discovered a tunnel about ten meters long on the border with Belarus through which 15 people entered the country illegally. This is the first known case of a tunnel being used to illegally cross the border into Latvia.
Belarus has long been accused of using migration as a weapon and of bringing people from crisis regions to the EU's external border. Now, a secret tunnel on the border has also been discovered in Latvia.
Latvian authorities claim to have discovered a secret tunnel
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