Latvia: Wagner Group in Belarus poses no direct threat: ministry

The movements of the Russian private military company, Wagner Group, in Belarus do not present any direct threat to Latvia, the Ministry of Defence stated, LETA reports. The ministry noted that Latvia’s national security authorities have been on high alert ever since Russia started its full invasion of Ukraine. Meanwhile, Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics said that Wagner Group’s presence in Belarus raised the risk of hybrid warfare, such as infiltrating mercenaries among illegal migrants, The Baltic Times reported. At the same time, he said that there was no evidence of any specific threat that Wagner Group’s movements in Belarus would pose to Latvia. Janis Sarts, director of Riga-based NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence (StratCom), warned of possible acts of sabotage against Latvia. He said that the logical target would be arms supplies for Ukraine.