Latvia identifies Belarus-Russia migration as hybrid threat

Latvian authorities are characterizing the increasing number of migrants attempting to cross the border from Belarus as a hybrid threat orchestrated by Belarus and Russia. The objective, according to border officials, is to destabilize the European Union and the Baltic states.

In Latvia alone, over 11,000 attempts to cross the border have been intercepted so far this year. Border guards report seeing uniformed personnel on the Belarusian side transporting migrants toward the border and facilitating their passage. Some migrants have been found to be students at Russian universities.

Officials describe the situation as a highly organized operation involving human trafficking networks that function like a ‘mafia,’ with coordinators operating from abroad. Migrants attempt to bypass security measures, including a four-meter-high metal fence, by crossing through rivers, forests, or even via newly dug underground tunnels.