Latvia faces increased migrant pressure from Belarus ahead of elections

Latvia has become the latest target in Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's campaign to weaponize migration against the Eastern European Union border. Latvian officials observe that the primary pressure is now focused on their border, with migrant flows increasing months before the October 3 parliamentary elections. Minsk is suspected of using migration to destabilize the region.

On July 16, Latvia, which shares 173 kilometers of border with Belarus, recorded 111 attempts to cross illegally in a single day. In contrast, Lithuania, with a border nearly four times longer at 679 kilometers, registered only two such attempts on the same day. Poland reported no border challenges that day. Furthermore, secondary migration from Latvia to Lithuania has quadrupled.

“

The Latvian border has now become the main target.

"The Latvian border has now become the main target," Janis Dombrava, Latvia's Interior Minister, told Euronews. "The time is not accidental." Riga officials believe the timing is deliberate. "The war in Ukraine, openly supported by the Belarusian regime, has significantly increased security risks in our region and given Belarus additional motivation to continue hybrid operations, including the use of migrants as a pressure tool," a spokesperson for the Interior Ministry told Euronews.

“

The war in Ukraine, openly supported by the Belarusian regime, has significantly increased security risks in our region and given Belarus additional motivation to continue hybrid operations, including the use of migrants as a pressure tool.

Minsk is intentionally directing migrant flows toward the EU's external borders to exhaust the resources of Poland and the Baltic states, thereby increasing pressure on its neighbors. The migration crisis began in 2021 when Lukashenko threatened to flood neighboring countries with migrants and drugs. Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland subsequently strengthened border security and increased patrols. However, Latvian officials now admit these measures are insufficient.

"The State Border Guard Service is doing everything possible. However, given the scale of migration pressure, available resources are not always enough to intercept every group of illegal migrants," Dombrava stated. As Belarusian pressure mounts, Latvia has sought assistance from neighboring countries. Lithuania recently sent nine border guards and two service dogs to Latvia to patrol the border with Belarus, replacing a previous team. Estonia dispatched two groups of 12 border guards to Latvia in June.

“

The State Border Guard Service is doing everything possible. However, given the scale of migration pressure, available resources are not always enough to intercept every group of illegal migrants.

"The Latvian-Belarusian border is both NATO's and the EU's external border, so it is our border," said Veiko Kommusaaras, head of the Border Guard Department of the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board. According to the Latvian Interior Minister, all three Baltic states aim to prevent any illegal migrant from entering the EU through the external border.

“

The Latvian-Belarusian border is both NATO's and the EU's external border, so it is our border.