Latvia sends extra forces to Belarus border, cancels vacations
Latvia has canceled border guards' annual leave and sent additional forces to its border with Belarus due to "the rapidly rising hybrid war threat", Latvian public broadcaster LSM reported on Tuesday.
Ninety-six people have attempted to cross the Latvian–Belarusian border illegally in the last day, the State Border Guard said in a statement.
An uptick of activity has been observed among the Belarusian authorities in organizing the flow of illegal immigrants, the agency said. Information suggests a possible increase in hybrid risk.
State Border Guard officials' scheduled leave will be canceled and those currently on vacation will be recalled, LSM reported.
There have been almost 6,000 attempts to cross the Latvian border from Belarus this year and 292 people have been granted asylum.
Irregular migrants, mostly from the middle east, started to cross the Belarusian border in Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland in the summer of 2021.
Politicians branded the action a "hybrid attack" to "destabilize the countries of NATO's eastern flank" organized by leader Alexander Lukashenko's regime.
Crossings have not stopped since then, although the number of attempts has been reduced.
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Editor: Helen Wright
Source: LSM
