Latvian army uses tear gas, warning shot against migrants from Belarus

The army stated that the migrants acted aggressively and ignored officials' demands, leading to the use of tear gas and a warning shot fired into the air. The individuals subsequently retreated into Belarusian territory.

Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs described the situation as a "hybrid threat," noting a recent doubling of migrant attempts to enter the country from Belarus and increased resource allocation at the border. He also mentioned that Lithuanian and Estonian border guards are assisting the Latvian army.

Latvia, along with its Baltic neighbors, has accused Belarus and its ally Russia of orchestrating migrant flows from the Middle East and Africa since 2021 to destabilize the region, though both Minsk and Moscow deny these allegations.