On Monday, border guards prevented attempts by 103 people to illegally enter Latvia from Belarus, LETA was told at the State Border Guard.
The number of people turned away at the Latvian-Belarusian border was over 100 people on several days at the end of August and the beginning of September
So far this year, border guards have prevented attempts by 7,959 people to illegally enter Latvia from Belarus, while 325 people have been allowed into Latvia on humanitarian grounds.
Last year, 5,286 people were prevented from illegally crossing the border, while 217 people were let into Latvia on humanitarian grounds.
Due to the pressure of illegal immigration, from August 11 until February 10, 2024, border surveillance will be reinforced in several administrative territories bordering Belarus. In view of the rapidly growing hybrid threat on the Latvian-Belarusian border, the State Border Guard is mobilizing additional border guards to strengthen the protection of the external state border. The Border Guard has also requested additional support from the National Armed Forces (NAF) and the State Police.
Latvian authorities consider attempts by Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko’s regime to push migrants across Latvian, Lithuanian and Polish borders to be methods of hybrid warfare targeting these countries.
(Reproduction of BNS information in mass media and other websites without written consent of BNS is prohibited.)