Latvia launches snap military drills naer Belarus border
POLITICS
15.11.2021 | 19:16Latvia has launched snap military drills in Latgale, a region bordering Belarus and Russia, the country’s military said on Sunday.
This comes in response to what the EU and Baltics say is a “hybrid attack” by Belarus. Vilnius and Warsaw say the Minsk regime has orchestrated a migration crisis, sending thousands of people to the Polish and Lithuanian borders in response to EU sanctions.
“We cannot exclude that part of these groups will move further north and can reach the Latvian border. We’re ready for it,” Latvian Defence Minister Artis Pabriks was quoted by the country’s public broadcaster LSM as saying.
“ I have asked for military training to be launched in the Latgale region, although our Belarusian colleagues […] would know that this is not just for fun. Approximately 3,000 representatives of the Latvian Armed Forces will participate in this training,” he added.