Conflict · Latvia · ArchivePutin Escalates Hybrid War on Latvia as He Loses in Ukraine, PM SaysAired July 23, 2026 at 4:51 PM UTCWritten September 7, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00Latvia's Prime Minister is sounding the0:01alarm, accusing Vladimir Putin of0:04escalating a hybrid war against his0:05country because the Russian leader is0:07losing in Ukraine. On July 22nd, Latvian0:10soldiers fired a warning shot and0:12deployed tear gas against migrants at0:14the Belarus border, the most acute use0:16of force since the crisis began. Prime0:18Minister Andris Kulbergs says this is a0:20deliberate state-orchestrated campaign0:22using Belarus as a proxy. The border0:24between Latvia and Belarus stretches0:26just 173 km, the shortest of any EU0:29state bordering Belarus, yet it has0:31become the main entry point for what0:32Latvian officials describe as a0:33state-engineered migrant crisis.0:35Crossing attempts have doubled in recent0:37months, reaching 111 in a single day.0:39Kulbergs says the escalation is directly0:41tied to Russia's struggles in Ukraine.0:43In a July 23rd interview, he stated0:46Putin is, quote, "losing in Ukraine,0:48simple, and needs to divert attention."0:50The geography here is critical. Latvia0:52shares the shortest EU border with0:54Belarus, and Moscow is exploiting that0:56seam. Lithuania and Estonia have already0:59sent border guard reinforcements. NATO,1:01at its July 7th-8th Ankara summit,1:04reaffirmed its collective defense1:06commitments to the region. The Prime1:07Minister described the incoming migrants1:09as men aged 18 to 25 with criminal pasts1:12who were given visas by Belarus and then1:14directed to the Latvian border. He has1:17doubled the number of border guards and1:18deployed the Latvian army in support.1:20These are concrete steps in what Baltic1:22leaders see as a direct challenge to1:24NATO's eastern flank. Latvia, Estonia,1:27Lithuania, and Poland are now the top1:30NATO defense spenders as a share of GDP1:31in 2026. Latvian President Edgars1:34Rinkēvičs has warned that Russia may1:36seek to indirectly test Article 5,1:38NATO's core collective defense clause.1:40He called the next 12 months crucial for1:42Baltic security. With parliamentary1:44elections scheduled for October in1:45Latvia, the crisis at the border is1:47becoming a defining political issue for1:49the government and for Europe as a1:51whole.Explore with HeyDexThe shortThe short ↗