Armed men attempted to push a group of at least 20 migrants to cross the border from Belarus into Latvia illegally on 5 October 2026, according to the Latvian National Armed Forces (NBS), LETA reported. NBS soldiers prevented the attempt, which it said was particularly demonstrative and aggressive. During the incident, the masked armed men made threats against Latvian soldiers. Later, masked individuals entered Latvian territory, damaged an electricity distribution box, stole two surveillance cameras, and then returned to Belarus, Interior Minister Janis Dombrava said. Guntis Pujats, commander of the State Border Guard (VRS), suggested that the masked men could have been members of organised crime. He said that acts of sabotage against the border fence and IT infrastructure had increased recently. The government has extended the enhanced border security regime in the border region until the end of 2026, LSM reported. So far in 2026, VRS has prevented altogether 11,925 people from entering Latvia from Belarus illegally, which is almost as many as in the full year 2025.
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