RIGA, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Latvia's border with Belarus was closed for technical reasons on Friday evening, Interior Minister Janis Dombrava has said on social media.
"Those who have not yet returned to Latvia are advised to use other routes," the minister added.
Kristine Petersone, a spokeswoman for the State Border Guard, said that malfunctions have been detected in the IT systems at the Paternieki border checkpoint on the Latvia-Belarus border.
The reasons for the problem are currently unknown, as well as how long it could take to fix it. The State Border Guard promised to update information about options for border crossers on the website www.rs.gov.lv.
Currently, there are no indications of any external influence on the border checkpoint's IT systems, according to Latvia's cyber incident response agency Cert.lv.
The agency has received information about local technical issues in the Border Guard's IT systems. The Border Guard continues to clarify the circumstances, while Cert.lv provides the necessary support.
One day earlier, Dombrava urged Latvian residents to cancel any planned trips to Belarus and advised those already in the country to return as soon as possible.
On July 1, the Latvian government decided to extend the Reinforced Border Security Regime along the Latvia-Belarus border until Dec. 31, 2026. Since September 2023, Paternieki is left as the only road border crossing between Latvia and Belarus. Since March 19, 2025, only motor vehicles have been allowed to cross at Paternieki, while pedestrians, bicycles, electric scooters and other non-motorised means of transport have been prohibited. ■
