Border guards find second tunnel used for illegal entry into Latvia

Latvian border guards found a second underground passage used to illegally enter the country from Belarus after identifying 28 people who had crossed the border, LSM reported Friday.

The people were found in Krāslava on Thursday, August 20. While investigating how they had crossed the border and examining the surrounding area, guards found a passage hidden under moss about 20 metres from the border in the area overseen by the Kaplava border guard unit.

The 28 people were returned to their country of departure.

This is the second known case in which a tunnel has been used to cross Latvia’s border illegally. The first was discovered on August 10 in Skrudaliena parish in Augšdaugava Municipality after 15 people crossed the border through it.

On August 11, Latvia launched Operation Vilkatis, a targeted and coordinated response to what authorities describe as a hybrid threat involving the instrumentalisation of illegal migration from Belarus. The operation aims to significantly reduce illegal border crossings in eastern Latvia and prevent similar cases in the future.