Latvia again records more attempted irregular entries at its border with Belarus
Lettland has detected more attempted irregular crossings at its border with Belarus this week. Border guard chief Guntis Pujats stated on television that there have been 160 such attempts since Monday. In total, 2,770 migrants have been prevented from illegally crossing the EU green border from Belarus this year.
Lettland shares a border of approximately 172 kilometers with Belarus, one of Russia's closest allies. The Baltic state accuses, similarly to Poland and Lithuania, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko of bringing migrants to the EU border in an organized manner. This is allegedly tolerated or even actively supported by Belarusian authorities to create a political pressure instrument.
"We see again that the number of people wanting to illegally enter Lettland has significantly increased, and correspondingly the number in our neighboring countries, Latvia and Poland, has decreased," Pujats said. This was already observed last year, when Lettland became the main target for illegal border crossing attempts from the authoritarian-ruled Belarus between August and October 2023.
- The increase in attempted irregular crossings at the Latvia-Belarus border this week has led to discussions about strengthening entry regulations.
- Despite the ongoing trials related to border violations, migrants continue to attempt entry into Latvia from Belarus, often crossing the border illegally.
- The European Union is currently considering imposing sanctions on Belarus due to its involvement in facilitating the organized migration to the EU border with countries like Latvia and Belarus.
