Latvia closes last border checkpoint with Belarus
Latvia shut its final operating checkpoint on the Belarusian border on Friday due to technical issues, urging travelers to seek alternative routes. Meanwhile, underground tunnels believed to be for illegal migration have been found in Lithuania and Poland.
Latvia closed its last functioning checkpoint on the border with Belarus this past Friday. Interior Minister Jānis Dombrava wrote on X that the Latvian-Belarusian border is closed for technical reasons and advised those who have not yet returned to Latvia to use other routes.
Kristīne Petersone, a representative of the State Border Guard, confirmed to the LETA agency that the Pāternieki–Grigorovščina checkpoint experienced technical problems related to information system failures. The timeframe for resolving the issues is currently unknown.
Earlier, Dombrava had called on Latvian residents to avoid traveling to Belarus or to return from there. He added that in the context of the hybrid migration war waged by Belarus, safe movement between the countries could become difficult.
In related developments, Lithuanian border guards discovered an underground tunnel from Belarus in the country's southeast on July 28, according to Lithuanian portal LRT. The tunnel, about one meter in diameter, had no exit on the Lithuanian side. Local authorities suspect it was intended for illegally smuggling migrants into Lithuania.
In 2025, more than 180 undocumented migrants entered Poland through an underground tunnel from Belarus, with about 130 detained. Last year, Polish authorities uncovered four similar tunnels along the border.
