00:04The Latvian president has come to one of Europe's most sensitive borders as the Baltic country faces growing security threats
00:10from its eastern neighbors, from irregular migration to the risk of war.
00:16I'm standing here in Latvia with Belarus being just on my side. The fence behind me was built two years
00:22ago to cope with irregular migration. Irregular migration is something European leaders call hybrid attack by Lukashenko's regime. However, in
00:31the recent months, Latvia has been struggling to cope with the numbers of migrants trying to cross the border.
00:37And now, with general elections approaching on 3rd of October, Latvian officials are also concerned that the pressure could be
00:43used to influence the political debate.
00:49What about there?
00:52Partly this is because Latvia had five elections in October, that's number one. And of course, then it's really important
01:00somehow to show that we are not able to cope with the pressure to somehow indirectly influence electoral process.
01:15to somehow also make our public feel unsafe and vulnerable.
01:21But Latvia is also acknowledging that parts of its border protection system are still being completed. The physical fence along
01:28the 173-kilometer border with Belarus is now in place. Latvia is adding surveillance technology – cameras, drones, towers –
01:35to better protect the border.
01:51All works will be completed by the end of the year, but technology is not enough. Latvian border guards say
01:57they need up to 200 additional employees. And in recent months, they have received support from neighboring countries, including Lithuania,
02:04Estonia and Finland.
02:08Also testing. Testing of our capabilities, testing of our resolve, and trying to find spots. But I'm rather confident that
02:18border guards and forces, our state police will be able to protect our border. And this is going to be
02:28the matter of the fast.
02:31This summer, Latvia had days when it recorded more than 100 attempted illegal crossings from Belarus.
02:37Last day, and so that was 109. It's close to 10,000 in this year. 9,887.
02:49And migrants are finding increasingly difficult ways to get through. Some try to climb the fence, others have attempted to
02:56dig underneath it, including a tunnel discovered earlier this month.
03:00But Latvian officials insist that Latvia itself is not necessarily the final destination.
03:06Latvia is not the target country. We are guarding, you know, Germans, Belgians, Netherlands there in Latvia. Those ones are
03:14the target, you know, countries.
03:17Officials linked the migration pressure directly to the broader geopolitical confrontation between Belarus, Russia and the European Union.
03:24The crisis first erupted in 2021 after Lukashenko threatened to flood neighboring countries with migrants and drugs.
03:29We haven't had such problems before 2021. And so, after the European Union implemented sanctions against Belarusian regime, this migration
03:43crisis was started from Belarusian regime.
03:50But irregular migration is not the only concern Latvia has. The country is facing drones, hybrid attacks and even a
03:59potential threat of war.
04:00So, the country is stepping up its border protection. And the blocks behind me is proof of the ongoing work.
04:12These blocks, all these fortification materials would help us to enable this terrain. So, we, our defenders, our units, and
04:20allied units will use it to support it.
04:23Now, we're stepping up already next steps. A part of this planning, establishing defense line is to look also how
04:30to support this defense line with fires.
04:33Autonomous systems, drone systems, deep strike fires. So, main intent being pre-positioned. So, our reaction is much faster. Plants
04:44are prepared.
04:45Some obstacles will be already prepared. Some obstacles will be already based on areas, prepared also mining fields with the
04:51plants, not mines. Mines will be pre-positioned.
04:58But how does all of this feel to people living closest to Latvia's eastern frontier?
05:02In Lugavpils, just a few dozen kilometers from Belarusian border, we asked people whether they feel safe, with migration pressure,
05:08drone incursions, and the war in neighboring Ukraine all shaping the security debate.
05:14Anna, with her family, is planning to move to London. The decision taken partly due to security concerns.
05:19We were thinking move to move or not to move, but when the drone started flying...
05:26Yeah.
05:27So, like, that last incident, was it the last drop for you?
05:30Mm-hmm.
05:30So, it's pretty recent decision.
05:32Mm-hmm.
05:33Okay.
05:33So, you don't feel safe here?
05:35No, no, we don't.
05:37Do you think that the threat of war is really close?
05:40Yeah.
05:41I wouldn't say it's a threat. I just hope that the war finishes in Ukraine soon, and it will be
05:47fine again, you know, because that's the only problem.
05:49Actually, I feel safe living in Lugavpils, but when I started the drone flying to Latvia, actually, I'm a little
06:06bit worried about it.
06:11Just days ago, a NATO fighter shot down a drone over Latvia.
06:15Are you expecting more hybrid threats from Russia and Belarusian?
06:18We are much better prepared, but we never can rule out anything.
06:22We see that NATO has now updated its procedures.
06:26Latvia policing is working.
06:28But, you know, this is the reality.
06:32We have our reality.
06:33Poland and Romania have their reality.
06:36And we need to adapt on the US group.
06:39Yeah, we're much better in Britain.
06:41We need to adapt to Ukraine.
06:42We need to adapt to Ukraine.
06:42We need to adapt to Ukraine, but we need to adapt to Ukraine.
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