Belarus-Latvia border tension escalates with migrant surge

The number of migrants attempting to cross from Belarus into Latvia is increasing. In July alone, around one thousand illegal migrants were involved. In total, over 3,700 people have been detained at the Belarusian border this year.

Local authorities in the border municipality of Kraslaw in the southeast of the country expect that the influx of migrants in August will be even larger and could resemble the border crisis that occurred at the end of summer 2023, according to regional Latgale Television.

The authorities in Riga have requested support from services in Estonia and Lithuania to monitor and protect the border with Belarus.

According to the Latvian border guard, in the last few days of July alone, several large groups of migrants, totalling over 80 people, were prevented from crossing the border. This was the largest operation of its kind at the Belarusian border recently. Last autumn, an average of around 100 migrants per day attempted to cross the border.

Vadim Grickovs, head of the border control and immigration department at the Daugavpils border guard unit, said that migrant movements in the east also depend on the actions of neighbouring countries, particularly Poland, and how these countries involve their military in border control.

Regarding Latvian services, migrants attempting to enter the country's territory mainly use porous border sections, such as technical gates and places under repair.

In total, over 3,700 illegal migrants have been detained at Latvia's eastern border this year, including over 450 in June, nearly 1,050 in July, and over 80 in early August. Criminal proceedings have been initiated against dozens of human smugglers from Latvia, Ukraine, and Romania.