Operation “VILKATIS” in Latvia’s Eastern Border Area to Continue until October

On Tuesday, 1 September, the Cabinet of Ministers decided to extend Operation "VILKATIS", which is being carried out in Latvia's eastern border area to combat illegal migration, by one month - until October.

To ensure the security of Latvia's eastern border, Operation "VILKATIS" was launched on 11 August as a targeted and coordinated Latvia's response to a hybrid threat - the instrumentalization of illegal migration by Belarus. The operation aims to significantly reduce the number of illegal crossings of Latvia's eastern border and to prevent such incidents in the future.

The operation was originally scheduled to last until September; however, given the damage caused to border infrastructure by the storms on 22-23 August and the situation concerning illegal border crossings, a decision was made to extend the security operation. Consequently, security of the Latvia-Belarus border will continue to be closely monitored to prevent illegal migration.

The instrumentalization of migration by Belarus constitutes a hybrid threat and has resulted in a disproportionately large number of illegal border crossings into Latvia. To date, as part of Operation "VILKATIS", four persons involved in transporting illegal border crossers have been detained in Latvia, while more than 600 people have been prevented from crossing the border illegally. Two tunnels used to organise illegal border crossings from Belarus have also been discovered and dismantled.

In total, 10 436 persons have been prevented from crossing the state border illegally this year. Transporting and accommodating illegal border crossers are criminal offences. A total of 131 criminal proceedings have been initiated in connection with the illegal movement of persons across the state border and the organisation of such activities.

Operation "VILKATIS" is coordinated by the Crisis Management Centre of the State Chancellery, while its implementation primarily involves agencies under the Ministry of the Interior - the State Border Guard and the State Police - and the National Armed Forces. Soldiers and National Guard personnel from the National Armed Forces carry out border surveillance and patrol duties, provide logistical and transportation support, and carry out engineering works necessary to strengthen the security of Latvia's external border. Meanwhile, border guards, in cooperation with the State Police officers, are using ground-penetrating radar to scan the soil layers along the border with Belarus in order to detect any unusual changes in the soil structure, such as possible underground objects or voids.