Latvia has reopened the border crossing in Patarnieki on the border with Belarus, the State Border Guard (VRS) announced, LETA reports. Earlier, the government decided not to approve the Interior Ministry’s proposal to close down the checkpoint, which is the only road border crossing that remains open on Latvia’s border with Belarus. However, Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs said that closing down the checkpoint was still one of the options under consideration. In the meantime, authorities would implement preventive measures in August 2026 to reduce the flow of irregular migrants crossing into Latvia, Kulbergs said. The Patarnieki checkpoint was closed temporarily on 31 July 2026 due to technical problems with information systems.
Meanwhile, General Juris Martukans, deputy chief of the State Border Guard, said that VRS needed additional human resources to guard the Belarus border, LSM reported. Speaking in an interview with Latvijas Radio, Martukans said that the overall situation on the Belarusian border had become “dramatic.” In the event of a major hybrid attack, VRS would need at least 400 more people to guard the border, he said. Latvia’s National Armed Forces (NBS) and State Police, as well as border guards from Estonia, Lithuania, and Finland, were currently assisting VRS to protect the border. Ainars Latkovskis, chairman of the national security committee of the Latvian parliament, the Saeima, suggested deploying military conscripts to the border.