Tunnel on the Belarus-Latvia border

The operation was reported on Tuesday by the head of the Latvian Ministry of the Interior, Janis Dombrava. The local border guard detained 15 individuals in sand-stained clothing near Daugavpils. According to information provided by the services, the passage was located approximately 10 metres from the border fence. A reconnaissance of the area was ordered to determine whether there are other tunnels or passages in the vicinity. Until now, the known methods of illegally crossing the Latvian border involved exploiting gaps or vulnerabilities in the border barrier, or jumping over it.

Simultaneously, Riga announced the commencement of Operation “VILKATIS,” aimed at combating illegal migration. “The border guard will be supported by the military, and a greater number of drones, helicopters, and aircraft will also be involved in surveillance,” stated Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs. “Full drone surveillance 24 hours a day, seven days a week is essential.”

Since the beginning of this year, Latvia has been grappling with pressure on its border with Belarus. To date, over 9,500 attempts at illegal crossing have been thwarted. In 2025, approximately 12,000 such cases were recorded.

At present, Poland is not experiencing similar pressure on its border. These incidents are irregular and low-intensity; there are days when no attempts to cross the Polish-Belarusian border are recorded. According to data published by the Ministry of the Interior and Administration, a total of 235 illegal border crossing attempts were recorded in the first half of 2026. For comparison, in the same period last year, this number stood at 15,500.