Estonian Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) unit Estpol-8 has stopped over 130 illegal migrants from entering Latvia from Belarus in just over a week. The Estonian contingent has been in Latvia for several weeks on rotation and is nearing the end of its time there. The migrant crisis, triggered by the Aleksander Lukashenko regime in Belarus in summer 2021, is still fresh in memory with significant numbers of people attempting to cross into Latvia and the EU illegally remaining.
Interior Minister Lauri Läänemets visited the snowy Latvian-Belarusian border and said the set-up helped both Estonia and Latvia in terms of aid and know-how. The Estonian contingent has been active across three border stations, and in just over a week, they have apprehended 138 illegal border crossers coming into Latvia and prevented them from doing so. Latvian border guards put the illegal immigrant interception rate at 95 percent. The Estpol-8 stint is coming to an end soon, but will be replaced by a fourth team from Estonia.
Interior ministers from EU countries and Ukraine are meeting in Vilnius to discuss crisis response scenarios, aligning approaches between NATO members in the defence sphere. Estonian contribution and Lithuanian deployments are also appreciated.
