Chief of the Latvian State Border Guard Guntis Pujats believes that Latvia is currently the main target of the hybrid warfare being waged by Belarus. According to him, the situation along the country’s eastern border poses serious challenges, Delfi reports.
Since the beginning of the year, the Latvian State Border Guard has prevented 7,600 people from illegally crossing the Belarusian-Latvian border. This is significantly more than during the same period last year. Migrant smugglers have become increasingly aggressive, forcing border guards to use tougher measures to detain them. Pujats therefore called for broader support from the National Armed Forces.
Among the reasons for the increased pressure on the border, the head of the State Border Guard cited Latvia’s consistent support for Ukraine and condemnation of Russian aggression, Russian propaganda narratives, and the upcoming parliamentary elections.
“[The goal is] to destabilize the situation, create dissatisfaction, and sow divisions in society over the alleged inability to cope with these challenges,” Pujats said.
Lithuania has also expressed concern over growing migration pressure, as it is increasingly dealing with secondary migration from Latvia. Lithuania’s new interior minister, Martynas Katelinas, said that the country’s most problematic section of the border is now the one with Latvia.