Latvian security services urge not to travel to Russia and Belarus

Latvian residents were urged not to travel to Russia and Belarus because of the high risk of recruitment in these countries.

This was stated by the head of the State Security Service (SBU) of Latvia, Normunds Mežviets, Delfi reports.

According to him, the biggest threat to Latvia is currently intelligence from the territory of the Russian Federation, which uses people living in Latvia or regularly entering the country for its own purposes.

"Of course, the war in Ukraine has made certain adjustments. Currently, if you look at the goals of Russian intelligence in our country, more emphasis is placed on military intelligence, specifically on obtaining information about our National Armed Forces and the military contingent of NATO allies in Latvia," Mežviets said.

He added that Russian military intelligence is interested in information about the personnel of the armed forces in Latvia, their technical support, buildings, and the country's critical infrastructure.

Over the past few years, Latvian security forces have managed to detain several men who were helping the special services of Russia and Belarus. The detected cases of espionage are mainly related to supplies for military purposes.

The head of the State Security Service urges Latvian citizens to be very careful when traveling to Russia and Belarus. In his opinion, they are at risk of recruitment on the other side of the border.

"This is a really serious problem, serious risks. The natural beauty, cheap goods, or cultural and historical heritage of Russia and Belarus are not worth jeopardizing their safety, creating problems for themselves in the future," Mezhviets said.

Author - Olena Madiak, 12/06/2023