Latvia requests help as Belarus border faces record migrant surge

Latvia is struggling to contain a record surge of migrants crossing from Belarus and has requested significantly more assistance from Lithuania, which has already sent a second team of 10 border guards, LRT reports.

Latvian Interior Minister Janis Dombrava, who visited Lithuania’s border with Belarus, described the situation as a hybrid attack by Minsk and a shared regional challenge. He noted that pressure on border guards is intense, with migrants attempting to cross every few hundred metres. Loudspeakers, surveillance systems, and sensors are being used to deter illegal crossings.

Dombrava compared the current situation to Lithuania’s 2021 crisis, when Belarus deliberately directed thousands of migrants toward the EU border. He warned that migration is being weaponised as a political tool, with Latvia now facing over 2,000 attempted border crossings in a single month—a record high.

Lithuania’s State Border Guard Service deputy chief, Saulius Nekraševičius, confirmed that Latvia’s situation is tense but under control. He added that Lithuania has already experienced similar pressure, with nearly 900 irregular migrant attempts this year alone.

Dombrava has called for ten times more support, arguing that the external border is a shared responsibility. “If Lithuania were under this pressure and we were not, we would be ready to send 100 officers. I think you could too—because we share the same external border. It doesn’t matter where they break through; it’s our common problem,” he said.

Latvia’s border with Belarus spans 173 km, but only 28 km lack natural barriers, leaving gaps in fencing. Latvian authorities have also reported cases of human smuggling, including the recent arrest of a French national involved in transporting migrants.

Lithuania’s Interior Minister Martynas Katelynas has suggested that border controls with Latvia may need to be tightened in the worst-case scenario. His advisor, Ana Burkovskienė, emphasised that closer cooperation and information-sharing could help address the issue more effectively.