Earlier, the border guard recommended the government to decide to close one of the border crossings with Belarus. Due to cargo traffic and work-related travel, emergencies and humanitarian reasons, the border crossing at Paternieki will remain open, LETA said.
Closing the crossing in Xylene will allow crews to move to the “green” border. “At the same time, by reducing the number of people crossing the Latvian-Belarusian border, the risks associated with it will be reduced. It should be noted that Belarus’s open support for the war against Ukraine is considered an additional risk factor and possible motivation for Belarus to continue its actions to destabilize the situation on the border with Latvia,” the Ministry of Internal Affairs stressed.
Pressure on the Latvian-Belarusian border
In the past year, pressure has been increasing in Latvia regarding illegal migration at the border with Belarus. In late August and early September, more than a hundred people a day tried to cross the border illegally for several days, LETA wrote. According to Latvian Defense Minister Inara Murnese, Belarus’ main “element of pressure” is currently concentrated in Latvia.
Kundis Bujats, the head of the Latvian border guard, said last week that the situation at the border “may be very tense after 2021,” according to the LSM website. Within a week, nearly 900 attempts to reach Latvia had been thwarted, he said. He did not rule out that some managed to enter the country and were not caught.
Closing the crossing is not the end?
The Latvian Ministry of Defense is considering the possibility of deploying anti-tank mines and additional security measures to strengthen the country’s eastern border, LETA reminded.
On an average, the Xylene crossing serves about 1,200 people and about 170 trucks per day. There are two road and one railway crossings on the border with Belarus. Three crossings have been closed due to migration pressure from Belarus.
Starting Tuesday, vehicles with Russian license plates cannot enter Latvia from Belarus and Russia. LETA said the decision was made based on the explanations of the Election Commission and the opinion of the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. First Prohibition in force 18.
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