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Group with alleged intelligence ties claims responsibility for Latvian border armed standoff
October 13, Pozirk. A group called Chernyye Rusy [Black Russes] has claimed responsibility for an armed standoff in early October between armed men attempting to smuggle 20 foreigners from Belarus and Latvian border guards, LSM reported.
The little-known group posted a one-minute video on Telegram promising to continue “covert operations.” The footage showed a man wearing a balaclava and using altered voice, who pledged to “continue carrying out sabotage operations” against Belarus’ neighbors. He described the incident in early October as “a test for the Latvians, which they failed.”
Jānis Sārts of the NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence questioned whether the group existed, describing the border incidents as an intelligence-led information operation aimed at provoking an emotional response, particularly among people genuinely concerned about the situation.
The expert acknowledged that Belarus may be trying to distance itself from the incident, as it recently did at the United Nations, but said that the Belarusian and Russian authorities were directly responsible for border tension.
Latvia’s Interior Minister Jānis Dombrava accused Belarus of staging a “demonstrative and aggressive provocation” on the shared border in early October after armed escorts of the undocumented foreigners threatened Latvian soldiers from the Belarusian side. Authorities in Minsk “should understand that such incidents could lead to more serious consequences for Belarus,” the official stressed.
Undocumented third-country nationals have attempted to cross irregularly into Latvia via Belarus for more than 200 consecutive days, according to Pozirk’s analysis of border guards’ data.
Latvia’s interior minister warns Minsk after standoff involving armed men and border guards
October 7, Pozirk. Latvia’s Interior Minister Jānis Dombrava accused Belarus of staging a “demonstrative and aggressive provocation” on the shared border in a post on X last evening after border guards did not allow a group of 20 undocumented foreigners …
