The President of Latvia stated that there is a shortage of border guards on the border with Belarus
Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs stated that there is a serious shortage of personnel to secure the border with Belarus, despite significant progress in developing border infrastructure. LSM English reported this following his visit on August 18 to the village of Piedruja on the border with Belarus.
Over the past three years, a patrol road, bridges, towers equipped with cameras and sensors, and a fence have been built in the section of the border under the jurisdiction of the Piedruja border unit. The unit monitors 25 kilometers of the border, 17 kilometers of which run down the middle of the Daugava River. Rinkevičs reported that 55% of the Latvian-Belarusian border is currently equipped with cameras and sensors, and the remaining sections are scheduled to be equipped by the end of the year.
At the same time, the leadership of the State Border Guard Service raised the issue of a shortage of personnel to monitor the border. Currently, border guards are being assisted by colleagues from neighboring countries, the Armed Forces, and the police. The president emphasized that fences, sensors, and video surveillance systems will not be effective without personnel capable of responding to incidents, particularly damage to infrastructure.
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Guntis Pujats, Commander of the State Border Guard Service, stated that under current conditions, the service needs 500 new employees, although discussions are currently focused on 200 vacancies. According to him, there are situations where two border guards detain a group of 20 people, and reinforcements arrive later.
The issue of the Paternieki border crossing remains unresolved; it was closed for several days in late July and early August due to technical issues. Rinkēvičs stated that Latvia is considering all options for further action depending on how the situation develops, and if necessary, decisions will be made by the National Security Council or the government.
According to the president, the escalation of the situation on the Latvian-Belarusian border in recent months is linked to the Lukashenko regime’s desire to influence Latvian society ahead of the Seimas elections. He also stated that the Lukashenko regime and the Russian Federation—an aggressor state—are seeking to sow distrust in Latvian security agencies and demonstrate their inability to cope with the pressure. According to the border guard service, 182 people were prevented from illegally crossing the border on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
