The Ministry of the Interior is set to propose to the government that operations at the ‘Paternieki’ border crossing between Latvia and Belarus be suspended, according to a publicly available draft government decision prepared by the ministry.
If the government endorses the ministry’s proposal, this will effectively mean that residents and lorries will no longer be able to enter Belarus from Latvia.
At present, ‘Paternieki’ is the only official road border crossing on the Latvian-Belarusian border. At the same time, the ‘Indra’ railway border crossing remains in operation, although it is used exclusively by freight trains. Passengers have been unable to enter Belarus by air for several years now.
The draft government decision has now been submitted for approval. It is expected that the Cabinet will consider it as a matter of urgency.
The move is necessary to safeguard the integrity of the state, prevent threats to public order, create even more favourable conditions for the State Border Guard Service and other relevant agencies to carry out their duties in preventing the illegal crossing of the state border, and to optimise the resources available to the Border Guard Service in a crisis situation, notes the Ministry of the Interior.
The Ministry points out that, in fact, the pressure from irregular migration remains as high as ever and requires significant resources from the border guards and other services.
Under the law, when a regime of enhanced border security is declared, the Cabinet of Ministers is authorised to impose one or more measures across the entire border area or part thereof, including the full or partial suspension of operations at specific border crossing points.
The Ministry of the Interior notes that Belarus has, for a long time, continued to allow and encourage the uncontrolled, illegal crossing of its state border by third parties, thereby deliberately posing a threat to the security of its neighbouring country, Latvia; this is reflected, amongst other things, in the unjustified administrative burden placed on state resources.
Enhanced border security measures have now been put in place along the Latvian-Belarusian border to prevent illegal border crossings, thereby enabling the Border Guard and other agencies involved to prevent such crossings.
However, the ‘Paternieki’ border crossing point, established on the motorway – a border control post on the Latvian-Belarusian border – continues to operate under these conditions, thereby maintaining greater scope for conducting a protracted hybrid war against Latvia, as well as serving as an additional tool for exerting pressure, carrying out provocations and conducting intelligence operations, the Ministry of the Interior noted.
As previously reported, technical faults were detected in the information systems at the ‘Paternieki’ border control post, as a result of which it has not been possible to carry out border checks since July 31.
The State Border Guard Service told journalists that those wishing to cross the border should look for other nearby border crossing points located in Lithuania.
The government has extended the enhanced border security regime in the Belarusian border region until the end of this year. It was introduced due to the increased flow of irregular migrants caused by Belarus. Enhanced control measures are in place in Ludza and the parishes of the Ludza district, in Kraslava and the parishes of that district, in the Augšdaugava district, in Daugavpils and the Kaunata parish of the Rēzekne district.
Article initially published on August 3, 2026, 14:19 (CEST).
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
