Lukashenko accuses Latvia of staging armed border incident to secure EU funding
Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko accused Latvia of staging an armed incident on their shared border to obtain additional funding from the European Union, denying Belarusian involvement in the confrontation.
The accusation follows an incident reported by Latvian authorities on October 6, when armed, masked men accompanying at least 20 migrants allegedly threatened Latvian troops and attempted to force the group across the border from Belarus.
Several hours later, masked individuals entered Latvian territory, damaged an electrical distribution box and stole two border surveillance cameras before returning to Belarus, according to Latvian officials.
"We know very well about this. I have already been informed that the Latvians themselves did it to create a pretext for obtaining money from the EU. We have nothing to do with it," Lukashenko said, according to Belarusian outlet Zerkalo.
He claimed such an operation would not have taken place without his approval and insisted he had authorized nothing.
"They need money," Lukashenko said, accusing the Baltic states and Poland of seeking additional resources for military spending.
Latvian authorities have described the incident as part of continuing provocations and hybrid threats along the Belarusian border.
Latvian Border Guard chief Guntis Pujāts previously said the masked individuals might not have been members of Belarusian state services, suggesting they could have been members of organized criminal groups operating with the tolerance of Belarusian authorities.
Lukashenko offered no publicly verifiable evidence to support his allegation that Latvia had staged the incident.