A new group of Lithuanian border guards is heading to Latvia on Monday to help patrol its border with Belarus amid an intensification of irregular migration.
Lithuania is deploying eight officers from the Pagėgiai and Coast Guard Frontier Districts to the neighbouring country, according to the State Border Guard Service (VSAT).
The group, which includes two dog handlers with service dogs and two criminal intelligence officers, will replace Lithuanian border guards who have been stationed in Latvia since July 7.
The team is expected to remain at the Latvian-Belarusian border until August 1, after which further decisions on assistance will be made based on the situation.
VSAT officers assist their Latvian colleagues in monitoring the border, preventing irregular migration and carrying out other related tasks, according to the service.
More than 7,000 migrants have tried to cross into Latvia from Belarus this year, according to the VSAT, 7.5 times more than into Lithuania. Its border guards have
barred 942 migrants from entering from Belarus this year.
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