Moscow is behind the incident on the border between Latvia and Belarus, says Sibiga

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga stated that the incident on the Latvian-Belarusian border is part of a broader aggressive strategy by Russia and the Belarusian regime. According to him, Moscow and Minsk continue to test Europe’s security, using migration, in particular, as a tool of pressure.

Sybiga expressed Ukraine’s full solidarity with Latvia following the incident, during which armed men accompanying migrants from Belarus threatened Latvian military personnel. According to the Latvian side, the group consisted of approximately 20 migrants.

The Ukrainian foreign minister stated that Russia, with the assistance of the Belarusian regime, is deliberately using migration as a weapon to destabilize Europe.

“Ukraine stands in full solidarity with Latvia following the incident on the border with Belarus, where armed men accompanying migrants to the border threatened Latvian military personnel. Have no doubt: Moscow is behind this. Putin, with Lukashenko’s assistance, is deliberately using migration as a weapon to destabilize Europe,” the Ukrainian foreign minister said.

The incident occurred this week. Masked, armed men attempted to direct a group of migrants from Belarus toward Latvia and threatened Latvian military personnel. Latvian soldiers prevented the attempted illegal border crossing.

According to Andriy Sybiga, the events on the Latvian-Belarusian border are not an isolated incident.

Russia and the Belarusian regime, he says, continue to test the security of European countries by resorting to increasingly frequent acts of sabotage and other hybrid operations.

“The response must be to increase pressure, strengthen borders, and provide stronger support for the Ukrainian Defense Forces—that formidable force that defends Europe,” Sibiga is convinced.

According to Latvian authorities, a few hours after the attempt to smuggle migrants, armed and masked men entered Latvian territory. They damaged an electrical distribution panel and stole surveillance cameras, then returned to Belarus before border guards arrived.

In light of these events, the Latvian government has extended Operation Vilkatis to combat illegal migration through December 31. Latvian authorities view Belarus’s exploitation of migration as a hybrid threat.

Thus, Kyiv views the incident on the Latvian-Belarusian border as part of a broader hybrid threat to Europe and calls for increasing pressure, protecting borders, and supporting Ukraine.

He made this statement on the social media platform X.

According to RMF24, armed and camouflaged men escorted at least 20 migrants at the border between Latvia and Belarus as they attempted to illegally cross Latvia’s state border. The incident was reported by Latvian Interior Minister Jānis Dombravs and the country’s armed forces.