Kulbergs wrongly claims border cooperation began under his government

Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs of the United List said the Interior and Defence ministries began working together to curb illegal migration at Latvia’s eastern border only under his government. But Latvia’s public broadcaster LSM, in a fact-check by its Re:Check unit, found that military support for border enforcement began five years earlier.

Kulbergs made the claim in an election campaign video with United List candidate Anete Bile, saying that Operation Vilkatis marked the first time in history that the two ministries had cooperated.

This summer, the Defence Ministry marked five years of support by the National Armed Forces (NAF) to deter illegal border crossings. Over that period, the NAF had provided more than four million euros in support to the State Border Guard.

The Latvian army maintains continuous rotations of soldiers and members of the National Guard at the border with Belarus. Shifts last an average of seven days, with up to 200 personnel in each. They monitor and patrol the border, take part in detaining migrants and their transporters, and collect evidence.

Asked by Re:Check why Kulbergs had described the cooperation inaccurately, his adviser Elina Sverna said the two ministries now worked closely and focused on the causes of the problem rather than its consequences, unlike in the past.