Latvian military uses tear gas and warning shots against migrants at the Belarus border

Jul 22, 2026

Latvian soldiers used tear gas and fired one warning shot into the air after five or more migrants attempting to enter from Belarus acted aggressively and threw logs toward troops, according to the Latvian army. Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs said attempted crossings had recently doubled, without providing exact figures, and described the situation as a hybrid threat that had prompted Latvia to increase its border-security resources. Latvia, Poland, and Lithuania accuse Belarus and Russia of orchestrating migrant flows to destabilize countries on NATO's eastern flank, an allegation both governments deny. Kulbergs said Lithuanian and Estonian border guards, together with the Latvian army, were helping at the border.

Latvian border incident with Belarus

▪The Latvian army said soldiers used tear gas and fired one warning shot into the air to stop five or more migrants attempting to enter Latvia from Belarus.
▪The Latvian army said the migrants acted aggressively and threw logs toward soldiers before retreating into Belarusian territory after the warning shot.

Hybrid warfare tactics

▪Latvia, Poland, and Lithuania accuse Belarus and Russia of orchestrating migrant flows from the Middle East and Africa to destabilize countries on NATO's eastern flank, an allegation both Belarus and Russia deny.
▪Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs said the number of migrants attempting to enter Latvia from Belarus had recently doubled, although he did not provide exact figures.

Migration as weaponization tool

▪The Latvian Prosecutor General's Office initiated a criminal case on July 15, 2026, regarding systematic migration pressure organized by Belarusian border officials.
▪The Latvian National Armed Forces described the border incident as a deliberate provocation and an example of using illegal migration as a tool of hybrid warfare.

Military rules of engagement

▪EU Today argued that tear gas and warning shots are intended to avoid lethal force, while noting that their use still carries risks of injury and further escalation.
▪EU Today argued that the involvement of soldiers, rather than border guards alone, shows the frontier being managed more like a hybrid-security operation than routine immigration control.

Baltic regional security coordination

▪Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs said Lithuanian and Estonian border guards, together with the Latvian army, were helping at the border.
▪Estonian border guards previously assisted in detaining 133 irregular migrants on Latvia's border with Russia and Belarus.

EU external frontier management

▪The Latvian government extended the operating regime of its enhanced border security system in several municipalities bordering Belarus until December 31, 2026.
▪Latvia's State Border Guard Service prevented 7,600 illegal crossing attempts from Belarus by mid-July 2026, a significant increase compared to 2025.