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Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs has accused Russia and Belarus of coordinating a hybrid campaign that uses migration to destabilize Latvia and other European Union member states, UATV English reports.
In an interview with Euronews, Kulbergs said the recent surge in attempts to cross into Latvia illegally from Belarus was directed by the highest levels of the Russian and Belarusian leadership.
According to the prime minister, Moscow and Minsk have intensified their hybrid warfare against Latvia as Russian President Vladimir Putin seeks to divert attention from Russia’s battlefield losses in Ukraine.
Latvia has become one of the main targets of what the European Union describes as a coordinated hybrid campaign by Russia and Belarus. Since 2021, Belarusian authorities have facilitated the movement of migrants from the Middle East and Africa to the borders of Poland and the Baltic states, prompting neighboring countries to strengthen border security.
On Wednesday, Latvia’s armed forces said they fired warning shots and used tear gas to stop a group of migrants attempting to cross the border from Belarus.
Kulbergs said the migrants involved were “men aged 18 to 25 with criminal records” who had been issued Belarusian visas.
“This is an organized threat aimed at finding our weak point… and we must take every measure to prevent it,” he said.
Last week, Latvia recorded 111 attempted illegal border crossings from Belarus in a single day, while Lithuania reported only two attempts along its border with Belarus, which is roughly four times longer.
Lithuania has said it may consider introducing temporary border controls with Latvia to prevent secondary migration flows.
Kulbergs argued that the recent increase in migration ahead of Latvia’s parliamentary elections in October suggests a coordinated effort to undermine democratic stability in the region.
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