Latvia has closed its border with Belarus for “technical reasons,” Interior Minister Janis Dombrava announced late on 31 July 2026, LSM reports. A day earlier, Dombrava urged Latvian residents not to travel across the border to or from Belarus. Kristine Petersone, spokesperson for Latvia’s State Border Guard (VRS), said that the border was closed due…
Latvia’s security situation has not improved and has become more complex, President Edgars Rinkevics stated, LETA reports. Speaking in an interview on TV24, Rinkevics warned that Russia was becoming more unpredictable and that Latvia must be prepared to respond to various kinds of Russian provocations. At the same time, he noted that the threat posed…
Officials in Lithuania have arrested nine individuals accused of plotting murders and sabotage across Europe for Russia’s military intelligence service, GRU, The New York Times reports. Authorities said that the GRU-affiliated network had targeted people who had supported Ukraine or worked against Russia, LRT reported. The network included citizens of Georgia, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova,…
Latvia’s state real estate management company, Valsts Nekustamie Ipasumi (VNI), plans to complete the construction of a fence along the full stretch of the country’s border with Russia by the end of 2025, LSM reports. Only around 6 kilometres of the fence remains to be built in areas of difficult terrain along the border. VNI…
Estonia’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) checked around 2,000 bank statements without legal authority, Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise announced, ERR reports. FIU had obtained full bank statements via the data exchange layer connected to the enforcement register, whereas the law only allows FIU access to basic information about bank accounts. FIU told ERR that it…
Estonia’s Defence Ministry sees no need to halt the development of wind farms off the Estonian coast, Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur announced, ERR reports. He insisted that air and maritime surveillance issues related to offshore wind farm projects were manageable. Pevkur assured that concerns expressed by the Estonian Defence Forces (EDF) over the negative impact…
Estonian Climate Minister Yoko Alender and Finland’s Minister of Environment and Climate, Kai Mykkänen, have signed a memorandum of understanding on increased cooperation in protecting critical undersea energy infrastructure, BNS reports. Under the agreement, Estonia and Finland will set up a steering group to develop their cooperation on ensuring the resilience and security of undersea…
The Lithuanian government has launched a pilot scheme to combat the use of narcotics and smoking in schools, LRT reports. Seven schools in Vilnius, Klaipeda, and Alytus will take part in the pilot programme, placing students under closer surveillance. The aim is to develop a joint response plan to prevent drug use and smoking. The…
The Latvian government has extended the enhanced border surveillance regime on the country’s border with Belarus until the end of 2024, LSM reports. Prior to the decision, the regime was set to end on 12 September 2024. The Ministry of Interior said that the reinforced border protection regime ensured the inviolability of the state border…
