Latvia’s intelligence chief has revealed Belarus is training migrants in combat before forcing them across European Union borders.
Normunds Mežviets, head of Latvia’s VDD state security service, made the claims in an interview with The Telegraph.
He said migrants are being prepared for violent confrontations with border guards before being pushed into Poland and the Baltic states.
Tens of thousands have crossed into the EU in recent years, in what Western officials describe as part of Moscow’s escalating hybrid warfare campaign.
TRENDING
Stories
Videos
Your Say
Speaking from a bunker at his agency’s headquarters, Mr Mežviets said Belarusian and Russian tactics have become increasingly aggressive.
"I remember the first years, they were pretty, pretty calm but in the last year it's becoming more aggressive," he said.
Belarusian officials have also developed new ways to manipulate migrants before sending them to the border.
One tactic, described by Mr Mežviets as an "information operation", involves showing migrants fabricated footage designed to inflame tensions.
Migrants are said to be being preparing for violent confrontations with European border guards
|GETTY
The videos portray supposed victims of "bad, violent border guards beating them up, tormenting them and kicking them out", he said.
However, analysts quickly identified the material as fake.
"They're showing their scars, and without being a great expert in this field, I can say they're not real scars," Mr Mežviets added.
When asked whether artificial intelligence was used to create the injuries, he said it was "just poor, quite simple make-up".
MIGRANT CRISIS - READ THE LATEST:
Belarussian soldiers are allegedly showing migrants fabricated footage designed to inflame tensions
|GETTY
But officials say a more serious threat is now emerging.
"We've had some information that they are training them [to be more violent]," Mr Mežviets said.
He declined to provide further details but confirmed Belarus has built infrastructure along the border, including storage sites, accommodation and more recently camps where migrants are given combat training.
Polish authorities have also told the newspaper that underground tunnels have been constructed along parts of the EU’s eastern frontier to aid crossings.
Tens of thousands have crossed into the EU from the Polish-Belarussian border in recent years
|GETTY
"We still haven't seen tunnels as our Polish friends have but from the start we've seen a massive build-up of Belarusian authorities and Belarusian KGB and border guards openly promoting this illegal migration," Mr Mežviets said.
The confrontation predates Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, often seen as the beginning of its hybrid campaign against Nato.
Reflecting on the tactics being used, Mr Mežviets said: "I understand how such kind of operations can be conducted.
"If I ever need to do it, I'll be more prepared for it."
Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter
More From GB News