Беларусско-латвийская граница. Фото: facebook.com/Latvijasarmija
Armed masked men accompanied a group of at least 20 migrants toward the Belarus-Latvia border, then entered Latvian territory and damaged equipment.
The incident occurred this week. The Latvian Armed Forces said the provocation was demonstrative and aggressive.
“National Armed Forces personnel stopped an attempt to cross the border. However, unlike many previous cases, this time the provocation was particularly demonstrative and aggressive. Those accompanying the illegal migrants were armed, threatened National Armed Forces personnel, and actively pushed and drove the group of migrants toward Latvia,” the Latvian National Armed Forces said.
Latvia believes provocations and hybrid threats along the Belarusian border will continue, with illegal migration being used as a tool to exert pressure on Latvia’s external border and, at the same time, the external border of the EU and NATO.
Several hours after the incident, masked men entered Latvian territory, damaged equipment, stole cameras and fled back into Belarus before Latvian border guards arrived.
“Several hours after this confrontation, masked men entered Latvian territory, damaged a distribution cabinet and stole cameras. Before the border patrol was able to arrive at the scene, these individuals had returned to Belarusian territory,” Latvian Interior Minister Jānis Dombrava said on X.
He warned that such actions could have consequences for Belarus.
“Belarus must understand that such incidents could lead to more serious consequences for Belarus itself,” Dombrava said.