Latvia temporarily closes Belarus border crossing

Latvia temporarily suspended operations at its only functioning border crossing with Belarus after a technical malfunction disrupted border control systems, authorities said.

The closure affects the Paternieki border checkpoint, the only operational crossing between Latvia and Belarus, Caliber.Az reports per Ukrainian media. 

Latvian Interior Minister Jānis Dombrava urged travellers who had not yet returned to Latvia to use alternative routes until the issue is resolved.

“For technical reasons, the border between Latvia and Belarus is closed. We ask those who have not yet returned to Latvia to use other routes,” Dombrava wrote.

The Latvian State Border Guard Service said a failure in the checkpoint's information systems had temporarily made it impossible to carry out border control procedures. The agency said updates on the resumption of operations would be published on its official website.

Meanwhile, Latvia's Cyber Incident Response Agency said preliminary findings do not indicate that the disruption was caused by external interference or a cyberattack.

According to the agency, the outage appears to be the result of a local technical malfunction, and specialists are working with the Border Guard Service to restore normal operations.

By Sabina Mammadli