On 6 October, unidentified individuals wearing masks entered Latvian territory from Belarus. Before Latvian border guards arrived, they damaged a distribution board and stole surveillance cameras.
Latvia’s Interior Minister Jānis Dombrava reported this on the social network X.
“An armed convoy of illegal immigrants threatened our soldiers. NAF fighters stopped an attempt by 20 illegal immigrants to cross our border unlawfully, but unlike many previous cases, this time the provocation was particularly demonstrative and aggressive,” the Latvian minister said.
The convoy of illegal migrants on the Belarusian side was armed, threatened Latvian soldiers, and incited and drove a group of migrants towards Latvia.
Just a few hours after the confrontation, masked individuals entered Latvian territory, damaged a switch and stole the cameras. By the time a border-guard unit arrived, the individuals had already returned to Belarusian territory.
“Belarus must understand that such incidents could lead to more serious consequences for Belarus itself,” Dombrava said.
- NYT: Russia and Belarus are helping to move migrants into EU countries via the Latvian border. In Latvia, it is believed that Moscow and Minsk are using migrants to destabilise the country ahead of parliamentary elections.