Latvia has discovered the first tunnel dug under its border with Belarus. Similar tunnels dug by migrants have previously been found in Lithuania and Poland.
As Interior Minister Jānis Dombrava said, a group of migrants who had crossed the border was identified through cooperation between border guards, the military and police. The detainees were covered in dirt.
“Trying to determine more precisely how they entered our country, we found this hidden tunnel — so far the first tunnel of its kind in Latvia”, Dombrava said, according to LSM.
According to him, he has already instructed officials to assess what measures need to be taken to detect tunnels.
It should be recalled that in recent months, Latvia has been the main destination for migration pressure along Belarus’ border with EU countries. Dozens, and often more than 100, attempts to cross the border are registered daily. Migrants who manage to cross it are often subsequently detained by Lithuanian and Polish border guards.
The tunnel in Latvia was discovered as part of Operation Vilkatis (Wolf), which began this week and is aimed at preventing border violations. As part of the operation, Latvian law enforcement agencies will seek to disrupt migration infrastructure, with increased attention to transport in particular.