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Signal
Submitted
Feb 1, 2026, 00:14 UTC
On February 20, 2024, Latvian authorities reported an increase in illegal migrant crossing attempts from Belarus, with multiple attempts detected and prevented at the Latvian-Belarus border.
Latvia's Interior Minister Rihards Kozlovskis disclosed on February 22, 2024, that illegal migrant crossing attempts at the Latvian-Belarusian border have renewed following a recent lull. On February 20 alone, officials detected three individuals attempting to cross illegally and six attempts overall. Throughout 2023, 13,863 crossings were prevented while 428 humanitarian admissions were granted. Attempts declined slightly before the New Year but have now picked up again. The minister noted uncertainty about the migrants' motives and pointed to Russia as the origin of the migrants being "delivered." Latvian authorities are prepared to strengthen border security measures if necessary to safeguard national borders.
Confidence: High
Classified as aggressor event due to resumed illegal crossing attempts involving migrants believed to be "delivered" from Russia. Classified as defense preparation due to Latvian authorities' readiness to reinforce the border regime and safeguard the country's borders.
Source URL
https://eng.lsm.lv/article/society/defense/22.02.2024-belarus-latvia-border-crossing-attempts-pick-up-again.a543900
Published as a Defense Preparations signal with a public source and reviewer-approved assessment bands. See the methodology for how records are assessed.
{
"id": "a1f3187c-3155-494f-984a-4bf9bb53a694",
"url": "https://eng.lsm.lv/article/society/defense/22.02.2024-belarus-latvia-border-crossing-attempts-pick-up-again.a543900",
"source": "csv-import",
"status": "approved",
"category": "Population & Migration Tools",
"subcategory": "Weaponized Migration",
"incident_type": "Pushing asylum-seekers across borders",
"country": "Latvia",
"source_reliability": "A",
"info_credibility": "2",
"tags": [
"Latvia",
"Belarus",
"Border security",
"Illegal migration",
"Humanitarian admissions",
"Interior Ministry",
"Russia",
"Hybrid warfare",
"Migration pressure"
],
"nodes": [],
"countries": [],
"where_text": "Land",
"headline": "Belarus-Latvia border crossing attempts pick up again",
"description": "On February 20, 2024, Latvian Interior Minister Rihards Kozlovskis reported to Latvian Radio that attempts by migrants to illegally cross the Latvian-Belarusian border have resumed. Officials detected attempts by three individuals on February 20 with a total of six attempts on the same day, against the backdrop of 23 prevented attempts declared for the year and a decline in attempts just before New Year. In 2023, 13,863 were prevented from illegal crossing, while 428 were admitted for humanitarian reasons. Attempts to cross illegally reached 5,286 in 2022 with 217 admitted for humanitarian grounds. The minister acknowledged unclear motives and stated that migrants are believed to be \"delivered\" from Russia and expressed readiness to reinforce the border regime if needed.",
"summary_short": "On February 20, 2024, Latvian authorities reported an increase in illegal migrant crossing attempts from Belarus, with multiple attempts detected and prevented at the Latvian-Belarus border.",
"summary_extended": "Latvia's Interior Minister Rihards Kozlovskis disclosed on February 22, 2024, that illegal migrant crossing attempts at the Latvian-Belarusian border have renewed following a recent lull. On February 20 alone, officials detected three individuals attempting to cross illegally and six attempts overall. Throughout 2023, 13,863 crossings were prevented while 428 humanitarian admissions were granted. Attempts declined slightly before the New Year but have now picked up again. The minister noted uncertainty about the migrants' motives and pointed to Russia as the origin of the migrants being \"delivered.\" Latvian authorities are prepared to strengthen border security measures if necessary to safeguard national borders.",
"actor_primary": null,
"target_primary": null,
"location_text": "Latvian-Belarusian border",
"location_region": null,
"location_coordinates_lat": null,
"location_coordinates_lon": null,
"location_precision": "Regional",
"is_aggressor_signal": true,
"signal_type": "DEFENSE_PREP_SIGNAL",
"is_hybrid_war_signal": true,
"classification_complete": true,
"hybrid_signal_complete": true,
"classification_confidence": "High",
"classification_rationale": "Classified as aggressor event due to resumed illegal crossing attempts involving migrants believed to be \"delivered\" from Russia. Classified as defense preparation due to Latvian authorities' readiness to reinforce the border regime and safeguard the country's borders.",
"event_time_utc": "2024-02-20T00:00:00.000Z",
"end_time_utc": null,
"event_time_confidence": "pm24h",
"created_at": "2026-02-01T00:14:42.392Z",
"updated_at": "2026-11-08T22:38:11.183Z",
"reliability_band": "strong",
"location_precision_band": "regional",
"time_precision_band": "within_24h",
"severity_band": "moderate",
"attribution_confidence_band": "medium",
"attribution_basis": "single_source"
}Source reliability
A
Info credibility
2
Event time
Feb 20, 2024, 00:00 UTC
Event time confidence
pm24h
Location
Latvian-Belarusian border
Country
Latvia
Tags
Latvia, Belarus, Border security, Illegal migration, Humanitarian admissions, Interior Ministry, Russia, Hybrid warfare, Migration pressure
Signal
Submitted
Feb 1, 2026, 00:14 UTC
On February 20, 2024, Latvian authorities reported an increase in illegal migrant crossing attempts from Belarus, with multiple attempts detected and prevented at the Latvian-Belarus border.
Latvia's Interior Minister Rihards Kozlovskis disclosed on February 22, 2024, that illegal migrant crossing attempts at the Latvian-Belarusian border have renewed following a recent lull. On February 20 alone, officials detected three individuals attempting to cross illegally and six attempts overall. Throughout 2023, 13,863 crossings were prevented while 428 humanitarian admissions were granted. Attempts declined slightly before the New Year but have now picked up again. The minister noted uncertainty about the migrants' motives and pointed to Russia as the origin of the migrants being "delivered." Latvian authorities are prepared to strengthen border security measures if necessary to safeguard national borders.
Confidence: High
Classified as aggressor event due to resumed illegal crossing attempts involving migrants believed to be "delivered" from Russia. Classified as defense preparation due to Latvian authorities' readiness to reinforce the border regime and safeguard the country's borders.
Source URL
https://eng.lsm.lv/article/society/defense/22.02.2024-belarus-latvia-border-crossing-attempts-pick-up-again.a543900
Published as a Defense Preparations signal with a public source and reviewer-approved assessment bands. See the methodology for how records are assessed.
{
"id": "a1f3187c-3155-494f-984a-4bf9bb53a694",
"url": "https://eng.lsm.lv/article/society/defense/22.02.2024-belarus-latvia-border-crossing-attempts-pick-up-again.a543900",
"source": "csv-import",
"status": "approved",
"category": "Population & Migration Tools",
"subcategory": "Weaponized Migration",
"incident_type": "Pushing asylum-seekers across borders",
"country": "Latvia",
"source_reliability": "A",
"info_credibility": "2",
"tags": [
"Latvia",
"Belarus",
"Border security",
"Illegal migration",
"Humanitarian admissions",
"Interior Ministry",
"Russia",
"Hybrid warfare",
"Migration pressure"
],
"nodes": [],
"countries": [],
"where_text": "Land",
"headline": "Belarus-Latvia border crossing attempts pick up again",
"description": "On February 20, 2024, Latvian Interior Minister Rihards Kozlovskis reported to Latvian Radio that attempts by migrants to illegally cross the Latvian-Belarusian border have resumed. Officials detected attempts by three individuals on February 20 with a total of six attempts on the same day, against the backdrop of 23 prevented attempts declared for the year and a decline in attempts just before New Year. In 2023, 13,863 were prevented from illegal crossing, while 428 were admitted for humanitarian reasons. Attempts to cross illegally reached 5,286 in 2022 with 217 admitted for humanitarian grounds. The minister acknowledged unclear motives and stated that migrants are believed to be \"delivered\" from Russia and expressed readiness to reinforce the border regime if needed.",
"summary_short": "On February 20, 2024, Latvian authorities reported an increase in illegal migrant crossing attempts from Belarus, with multiple attempts detected and prevented at the Latvian-Belarus border.",
"summary_extended": "Latvia's Interior Minister Rihards Kozlovskis disclosed on February 22, 2024, that illegal migrant crossing attempts at the Latvian-Belarusian border have renewed following a recent lull. On February 20 alone, officials detected three individuals attempting to cross illegally and six attempts overall. Throughout 2023, 13,863 crossings were prevented while 428 humanitarian admissions were granted. Attempts declined slightly before the New Year but have now picked up again. The minister noted uncertainty about the migrants' motives and pointed to Russia as the origin of the migrants being \"delivered.\" Latvian authorities are prepared to strengthen border security measures if necessary to safeguard national borders.",
"actor_primary": null,
"target_primary": null,
"location_text": "Latvian-Belarusian border",
"location_region": null,
"location_coordinates_lat": null,
"location_coordinates_lon": null,
"location_precision": "Regional",
"is_aggressor_signal": true,
"signal_type": "DEFENSE_PREP_SIGNAL",
"is_hybrid_war_signal": true,
"classification_complete": true,
"hybrid_signal_complete": true,
"classification_confidence": "High",
"classification_rationale": "Classified as aggressor event due to resumed illegal crossing attempts involving migrants believed to be \"delivered\" from Russia. Classified as defense preparation due to Latvian authorities' readiness to reinforce the border regime and safeguard the country's borders.",
"event_time_utc": "2024-02-20T00:00:00.000Z",
"end_time_utc": null,
"event_time_confidence": "pm24h",
"created_at": "2026-02-01T00:14:42.392Z",
"updated_at": "2026-11-08T22:38:11.183Z",
"reliability_band": "strong",
"location_precision_band": "regional",
"time_precision_band": "within_24h",
"severity_band": "moderate",
"attribution_confidence_band": "medium",
"attribution_basis": "single_source"
}Source reliability
A
Info credibility
2
Event time
Feb 20, 2024, 00:00 UTC
Event time confidence
pm24h
Location
Latvian-Belarusian border
Country
Latvia
Tags
Latvia, Belarus, Border security, Illegal migration, Humanitarian admissions, Interior Ministry, Russia, Hybrid warfare, Migration pressure