Latvia Tightens Border Regulations Amid Rising Refugee Influx from Russia and Belarus

Latvia is set to introduce new measures at its border checkpoints with Russia and Belarus, permitting only motor vehicles to cross. This announcement was made by the government on Tuesday, citing a reported increase in the number of refugees.

Alongside Finland and Poland, Latvia has accused Russia and Belarus of deliberately facilitating a surge of refugees in an effort to destabilize the region.

On the same day, the Latvian government sanctioned a prohibition on pedestrian and non-motorized vehicle passage at the three remaining operational border crossings with Russia and Belarus.

In an official statement, the government remarked, “This decision to limit the activities of these border checkpoints is based on the potential risks posed by hybrid threats and migration crises.”

It attributed the rise in border traffic to “strategies employed by Russia and Belarus aimed at orchestrating migration flows that negatively impact EU member states.”

The move is backed by Latvia’s border guard service, with its chief, Guntis Pujats, noting the detection of “organized groups” of migrants attempting to cross the borders.

According to Pujats, these groups “are seeking to enter our border stations without holding EU residence permits or Schengen area visas,” he commented on Latvian TV3 on Tuesday.

The new restrictions, which will take effect on Wednesday, will be in place at the Terehova and Grebneva border crossings with Russia, as well as the Paternieki crossing with Belarus. The government has not indicated when these restrictions might be lifted.

Latvia has already constructed a fence along its border with Belarus and intends to finalize a similar barrier along its border with Russia within this year.