Baltic media reports say Belarus continues to encourage irregular migrant crossings at the EU's external border.

According to a Baltic News Network (BNN) report on Tuesday (April 28), Latvia’s State Border Guard Chief Guntis Pujāts said in an interview on Latvian Television (LTV) that after a relatively calm winter, a steady flow of migrants had already been observed in April, leading authorities to anticipate a potentially busy summer. Pujāts added that pressure from what he described as "illegal migration organized by Belarus" is expected to remain at a similar level this year as in 2025, according to BNN.

The Baltic media outlet reported that Latvian authorities have information suggesting some migrants are being directed to travel through Russia and Belarus toward the European Union. Pujāts also described the situation as involving organized networks, alleging cooperation between criminal groups and Belarusian officials. Many of those attempting to cross are not seeking asylum in Latvia but are instead aiming to reach other EU countries, including Germany, the report stated, citing Pujāts.

Conflict in the Middle East could also increase the number of migrants from that region trying to reach Latvia, and officials have intel suggesting that individuals are being recruited to travel through Russia and Belarus to enter Europe, BNN reported, adding that Pujāts described migration as a well-organized operation, involving cooperation between organized crime networks and Belarusian officials.

The BNN report also cited figures attributed to Latvian authorities, including the detention of 18 individuals this year for allegedly transporting migrants. It added that work is ongoing to strengthen technological infrastructure along Latvia’s eastern border, with completion expected later this year.

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Latvia pushes back dozens of migrants at Belarus border: media

Separately, Baltic media network Delfi reported on Wednesday figures from Latvia’s State Border Guard regarding recent border activity. According to Delfi, authorities said they had turned back 22 migrants at the Belarus border on Tuesday. The outlet also reported that 38 individuals had attempted to cross into Lithuania from Belarus over the same period.

According to Delfi citing Latvian border authorities, 650 irregular migrants have been prevented from crossing into Latvia from Belarus so far this year, compared to 1,652 during the previous year. The report also cited Polish authorities as saying that no irregular crossings were recorded at Poland’s Belarus border the day before.

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Migrant pushbacks and 'hybrid war'

Wider migration enforcement practices, meanwhile, whether legal or not, are also taking place at the EU’s external borders. At least 80,865 pushbacks were recorded across EU borders in 2025, with an average of 221 taking place each day, according to a report by a coalition of European organizations that documents the scale of pushbacks carried out at the external borders of the EU each year.

According to that report, such practices were documented in several countries, including Latvia, Italy, Poland and Bulgaria, and included allegations of mistreatment of migrants during enforcement operations.

The discovery of a tunnel suspected of being used to smuggle migrants has also been uncovered at the Poland-Belarusian border. In the last few years, other tunnels have reportedly been found at the borders of Lithuania and Hungary.

Officials from Baltic countries have repeatedly accused Belarus and Russia of facilitating migration as part of what they describe as a "hybrid operation" or "hybrid warfare" in response to EU sanctions and policy. Both countries have denied such claims.

Migrants traveling along this route often arrive in Russia from countries such as Syria, Afghanistan or Sudan before moving onward to Belarus and attempting to cross into the EU via Poland or the Baltic states. Human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have described patterns in which migrants are repeatedly pushed back across borders and abused while in detention.

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Latvian government accuses Belarus military of transporting migrants

Latvian authorities have also publicly addressed the issue. In a January 2026 statement, the National Armed Forces of Latvia said information gathered by the military and the State Border Guard "confirms the involvement" of Belarusian law enforcement and military structures in directing migrants toward Latvia’s border. The statement described what it called coordinated actions, including the use of Belarusian military vehicles to transport migrants and the alleged participation of officials in organizing crossing attempts.

The same statement said that materials linked to a Belarusian service member were found in the possession of a detained migrant, and that mobile devices contained images showing individuals identified as Belarusian officials alongside migrants. It also reported recorded instances of electronic interference affecting communications and navigation systems in border areas, describing these as part of broader "hybrid threats."

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However, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) has noted that Latvian officials did not specify when or where some of the cited images were taken.

According to the OCCRP, EU countries have accused Belarus of orchestrating migrant flows since 2021, when Minsk eased visa requirements for certain nationalities, contributing to increased arrivals at the borders of Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.