December 30, 2025, 09:57December 30, 2025, 10:02 am
Latvia has permanently fortified its eastern border with Russia with a fence. According to the State Real Estate Administration, the last completed sections have been officially handed over. A published video showed a protective fence reinforced with barbed wire, next to which patrol routes run on the border strip:
This means there is a continuous barrier over a length of around 280 kilometers, said the authorities of the Baltic EU and NATO country in Riga.
Border protection on the EU eastern border
Interior Minister Rihards Kozlovskis also spoke of a “significant contribution to the security of the population of Latvia and our country,” referring to the fence along the Latvia-Belarusian border, which was completed in the summer of 2024. Further border infrastructure and modern surveillance systems are to be built along the border with both neighboring countries by the end of 2026. “Our ultimate goal is to create the most modern border protection on the EU’s eastern border,” Kozlovskis was quoted as saying in the statement.
Protection against possible attacks
Latvia began securing its land borders with Russia and Belarus with a fence several years ago. One reason for this is the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, which the government in Riga sees as a direct threat to national security. That’s why Latvia – like Estonia and Lithuania – wants to protect its borders with Russia and Belarus against possible attacks with anti-tank barriers and concrete blocks. (sda/dpa/hde)