Latvia strengthens security of its border with Russia and Belarus

This was reported on the website of the Latvian government, according to Ukrinform.

"The order was issued to ensure the inviolability of the state border and prevent a state threat, taking into account the excessively high number of attempts to illegally cross the Latvia-Belarus border," the statement said.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Latvia clarified that Lithuania and Poland have received information about cases of illegal border crossing from Belarus.

Also, according to the Latvian authorities, since August 11, 2021, 14,000 people have tried to cross the country's border outside checkpoints. At the same time, 282 people, including 117 children, have entered Latvia for humanitarian reasons since January 2023.

As reported, in 2021, at the border of Belarus and the European Union, the flow of migrants trying to illegally enter Europe increased sharply. The EU blamed the migration crisis on the Belarusian authorities, claiming that Belarusian law enforcement agencies not only failed to stop illegal migrants but also deliberately brought them to the border area.

Due to the migration crisis, Lithuania and Latvia declared a state of emergency in the territories bordering Belarus. Lithuania and Poland built fences on the border.

In the summer of 2023, Poland and Lithuania began to strengthen the border with Belarus after mercenaries of the Wagner Group began to move there.