The tighter controls are due to start on Wednesday (March 19), reported the German press agency dpa. Three key border checkpoints -- at Paternieki, Terehova and Grebneva -- will limit their operations.

Paternieki is the only open border crossing between Latvia and Belarus. It was closed completely for a brief period over the weekend, after a large group reportedly gathered near the border, prompting guards to worry they were about to attempt to enter Latvia without papers.

Access at these three border crossing points will be restricted to motor vehicles only, reported dpa. Pedestrians and cyclists will not be able to cross there until further notice.

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'Risks posed by hybrid threats and migration crises'

The Latvian government said that its decision to increase border controls is in response to "risks posed by hybrid threats and migration crises connected to the actions of Russia and Belarus," reported dpa.

The authorities say they fear more people could try and cross in from Belarus, given the geopolitical situation in the region at the time. It blamed "strategies implemented by Russia and Belarus aimed at organizing migration flows detrimental to EU member states" for the influx, reported AFP.

Latvia's Border Guard has backed the move. Its chief Guntis Pujats reported that guards were "observing organized groups" of migrants at the border.

Tense relations with Russia and Belarus

The border with Belarus was already shut in late 2023, following an increase in the number of people attempting to cross that border. Several border checkpoints with Russia were closed shortly after too, leaving only the checkpoints at Terehova and Grebneva operational.

Latvia is not the only country in the region to step up controls at its border and worry about Russian and Belarusian attempts to try and gather migrants at the border to destabilize the region.

A fence has already been built by the Latvian authorities along the entire border with Belarus. There are plans in place to put a similar one at the border with Russia, reports AFP.

Operations at the Latvian border are supported by Frontex, the European border and coast guard agency. Sixty Frontex officers were deployed at the Latvian border on February 19 this year. Frontex has also brought off-road patrol vehicles to help strengthen their border patrols and deploy border surveillance techniques.

Relations with Russia have been tense for years and have only worsened since Latvia, in line with its fellow Baltic states, expressed support for Ukraine following Russia’s invasion in February 2022.

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Forged passports

Last Thursday (March 13), according to a statement from Latvia’s border guard, two Russian citizens were detected at the airport in Riga, who attempted to present forged travel documents.

The citizens were attempting to depart for Switzerland, states the press release, and were reportedly traveling on forged Slovenian passports. During an immigration interview, border guards were told the two had paid 40,000 euros for the documents and they did not know they were forged. They were prohibited from leaving the country.

At the end of February, state border guards also arrested three Ukrainian citizens, on charges of "transporting persons who illegally crossed the state border." The group reportedly had 13 migrants with them who they were trying to bring into Latvia.

The migrants within two of the vehicles stopped at this time, driven by Ukrainian nationals, were described as being of "Asian origin without valid travel documents."

With dpa and AFP

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