Taking into account the sharp increase in the number of illegal crossings of the Latvian–Belarusian and Lithuanian–Belarusian borders, on 2 May the Cabinet of Ministers approved the extension of the state of emergency on the Latvian–Belarusian border until 10 August 2023 in Ludza, Krāslava, Augšdaugava and Daugavpils regions.
In January this year, 344 persons were deterred from crossing the State border illegally, in February – 377 persons, in March – 559 persons, in April – 776 persons and in May – 95 persons. In 2022, a total of 5286 persons were deterred from crossing the State border illegally. And in 2021, as of 11 August, 4045 persons were deterred from crossing the State border illegally.
Similarly, the war against Ukraine, launched by Russia and openly supported by Belarus, should be seen as an additional risk factor and possible motivation for Belarus to continue its efforts to destabilize the situation on its border with Latvia, i.e. to put pressure on the EU and NATO.
The competent authorities of Lithuania and Poland also continue to receive information about illegal border crossings from Belarusian territory. It is therefore essential to ensure a single coordinated transnational response to such illegal border crossings in order to ensure equivalent border surveillance of the entire region with Belarus.
Prepared by:
Ministry of the Interior
Communication Department
kn@iem.gov.lv