Another Secret Tunnel from Belarus Discovered on Latvia's Border

On Thursday, Latvian State Border Guard officers detained 28 people near Kraslava who had illegally crossed the state border through a dug underground passage leading from Belarus.

While investigating the circumstances of the crossing and conducting a thorough search of the surrounding area within the responsibility zone of the Kaplava border guard unit, officers found a passage hidden beneath a layer of moss, located about 20 meters from the border line. All 28 detained individuals were returned to Belarusian territory.

This marks the second recorded case of migrants using an underground tunnel to illegally enter Latvia. In early August, a similar passage was discovered in the Skrudaliena parish of Augšdaugava municipality, where 15 people had crossed the border through a tunnel.

Stepped-up security measures

In response to mounting illegal migration pressure from Belarus, a special operation named "Vilkatis" (Werewolf) was launched on August 11. Its goal is to significantly reduce the number of illegal border crossings in eastern Latvia and prevent further such incidents.

Alongside this, the State Border Guard, working together with the State Police, has begun scanning soil layers along the Latvian-Belarusian border using ground-penetrating radar to detect any additional hidden tunnels.

An enhanced border security regime remains in effect in Latvia's border area with Belarus until the end of this year, introduced in response to the heightened illegal migration pressure created by Belarus.