Latvian authorities have discovered an underground tunnel along the Latvia-Belarus border, marking the first time such a passage has been found in the Silene Border Guard Unit’s area of responsibility according to Interior Minister Jānis Dombrava. The concealed passage was uncovered around midnight heading into Tuesday as officials worked to determine how a group of migrants had entered the country as reported by BNN. Latvia shares a 173-kilometer border with Belarus according to Reuters.
Latvian Authorities Discover First Underground Border Tunnel
In response to the discovery, Interior Minister Dombrava instructed the ministry’s state secretary to explore ground scans along the external land border to check for additional underground structures as detailed by BNN. The discovery comes amid an increasing number of illegal crossing attempts reported by News.bg. Just last month, Latvian soldiers used tear gas and fired a warning shot to stop a group of migrants trying to cross the frontier usnews.com.
Operation Werewolf and New Security Measures
Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs and Interior Minister Dombrava announced a coordinated government response during a joint press conference covered by Reuters. The government launched bnn-news.com (also referred to as Operation Vilkatis) on Tuesday according to BNN, targeting criminal networks that transport migrants from the border area to the interior of the country and onward to other European nations noted by News.bg.
Prime Minister Kulbergs stated during the briefing that if everything went according to plan, they were confident that they would already deal a serious enough blow to the system, adding that he wanted to tell the organisers that everything would be put to an end. As reported by Reuters, authorities are also actively searching for temporary housing and logistical support points used to harbor migrants within Latvia according to News.bg.
To secure the 173-km frontier, Latvia is strengthening cooperation between the State Border Guard, State Police, National Armed Forces, and security services according to Reuters. Measures include the intensive deployment of drones for early detection and detention reported by Reuters, alongside increased allied military presence and exercises near the border noted by BNN.
Wider Regional Context and Geopolitical Tensions
Latvian leadership views the migration pressure as a deliberate hybrid threat reported by News.bg. Prime Minister Kulbergs previously noted that Latvia doubled its border guard personnel in July according to Reuters. Furthermore, Interior Minister Dombrava announced via X that the border was closed for technical reasons dariknews.bg, following the prior closures of the Silene border checkpoint in 2023 dariknews.bg.
The latest events run parallel to similar underground smuggling methods discovered by neighboring countries. In early August, Lithuanian border guards found their third underground tunnel intended for illegal migration in the Druskininkai municipality near Latežeris according to BNN. Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland have maintained for years that Belarusian authorities facilitate the movement of migrants toward European Union borders as a form of political pressure, an accusation that Minsk denies reported by Reuters. Riga intends to maintain close coordination with Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, and other European partners to address the ongoing migration flow according to Reuters.
