Armed masked men from Belarus threaten Latvian soldiers and steal surveillance cameras
Latvian Interior Minister Janis Dombrava says armed, masked people tried to push a group of 20 migrants across the Belarusian border and threatened soldiers. They later entered Latvia and took surveillance cameras.
Armed, masked individuals attempted to bring a group of 20 migrants illegally from Belarus into Latvia and threatened soldiers of Latvia's National Armed Forces. The account comes from Interior Minister Janis Dombrava and the country's armed forces.
According to the minister, Latvian soldiers stopped the group from crossing the border. The people escorting the migrants stayed on the Belarusian side. They were armed, threatened the troops and, in Dombrava's words, were actively pushing and guiding the migrants toward Latvia.
Incursion into Latvian territory
Several hours later, the masked individuals also entered Latvian territory. The minister said they damaged an electrical distribution panel and stole surveillance cameras, then went back to Belarus before border guards arrived.
"Belarus should understand that incidents like these could have more serious consequences for Belarus itself," the minister said.
Background
In 2021, the number of migrants trying to enter Europe illegally across the Belarus–EU border rose sharply. The European Union blamed the Belarusian authorities for the migration crisis, alleging that Belarusian law enforcement deliberately brought migrants to the border area and made no effort to stop them from crossing illegally. Latvian and Lithuanian border guards regularly prevent illegal entry from Belarus into their countries.
