Key facts
- Armed individuals from Belarus threatened Latvian soldiers on October 6.
- A group of masked individuals stole cameras and damaged equipment after crossing into Latvia from Belarus.
- Latvian Interior Minister Janis Dombrava warned Belarusian authorities of serious consequences.
- The EU sanctioned Belarus in 2021 for its instrumentalization of migrants.
- NATO forces shot down a drone that entered Lithuanian airspace from Belarus on September 15.
Armed individuals from Belarus threatened Latvian soldiers and engaged in a border breach on October 6, 2026, according to Latvian Interior Minister Janis Dombrava. The individuals, who were escorting migrants, issued threats to Latvian soldiers and actively drove the migrant group toward the Latvian border. Shortly after this confrontation, a separate group of masked individuals illegally entered Latvian territory, damaged a distribution cabinet, and stole cameras before returning to Belarus.
Dombrava warned Belarusian authorities that such border incidents could lead to serious consequences for Minsk. This event follows a pattern of similar incidents and comes amid intensified acts of hybrid warfare against Europe from Moscow and Belarus, as Russia continues its war against Ukraine. In a related incident, NATO forces shot down a drone that had flown into Lithuanian airspace from Belarus on the night of September 15.