In one day, there were 96 attempts to cross the border on the Latvian-Belarusian border. Therefore, the Border Security Force sought the support of the Army and the police.
Latvian border guards on Tuesday asked the army and police to help protect the border with Belarus after detecting 96 illegal border crossing attempts in a single day. In addition, border guards were recalled from their leave to join the border patrol, and leave was suspended for those who had not yet taken it.
Latvia has “information about a possible increase in hybrid threats” and the increasing involvement of Belarusian authorities in organizing the flow of illegal immigrants, the border guard wrote in a statement.
Latvian border guard at the border wall with Belarus, in the town of RobesnegiValda Kalnina/EPA/PAP
The border between Latvia and Belarus is more than 170 kilometers long and is the external border of the European Union and the Schengen area.
Central and Eastern Europe PAP/Maciej Zieliński, Adam Ziemienowicz
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Main photo source: Valda Kalnina/EPA/PAP