On Tuesday, 13 August, the Cabinet of Ministers (CoM) accepted for information the information report of the Ministry of the Interior “On the progress of construction of permanent infrastructure at the external land border of the country”, which reflects the progress of construction of infrastructure necessary for the protection of the external land border of the country as of 1 June 2024. The CoM was also informed on the current situation regarding the construction of the external land border infrastructure.
Taking into account the current situation as of 12 August this year, the construction of the border fence on the Latvian-Belarusian border is fully completed (~ 145 km long), but the construction of the necessary infrastructure – patrol trails, footbridges and other solutions needed for border protection – will continue until the end of 2024 for both the first and the second stage of construction works for the full 173 kilometres of the border. At the present moment, the construction of 42,48 km long vehicle patrol trails, 16,48 km long footbridge patrol trails and 1,75 km long pontoon patrol trails has been ensured.
In addition, the construction of six metal communication towers, access roads and a 16,7 km long patrol line continues along the Daugava at the Latvian-Belarusian border. Construction work has now started on five communication towers and their access roads, which are expected to be completed by the end of this year. The towers and access roads will provide surveillance of the external land border along the Daugava.
In the final stage of construction works on the Latvian-Belarusian border, where the construction of dredging roads is planned near Lake Riču, surveys and the location coordinates of potential dredging roads have been carried out in order to select the most optimal solution for the construction of the dredging roads. The dredging roads at Lake Riču will allow border guards to move quickly along the shore of the water body, thus effectively responding to potential violations - unauthorized entry of people or goods into Latvia. The sections without border fences – the 16,7 km long stretch of the Daugava and the construction of the dugout roads and infrastructure at Lake Riču – are planned to be completed by summer 2025.
In line with the current situation in the construction of the external land border infrastructure on the Latvian-Russian border, construction work on a border security fence is currently underway for a total length of 180 km. The construction of the border fence has been assisted by soldiers and servicemen of the National Armed Forces since April 2024, with the State Joint Stock Company “State Real Estate” acting as the general contractor for these sections, organizing the procurement of all materials and resources and managing the construction works. The construction of the fence on the Latvian-Russian border along the entire planned length is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2024 (with the exception of sections of nearly 29 km, which will be completed next year).
As previously reported, SJSC “Latvian State Radio and Television Centre” has been delegated to organize the construction of smart infrastructure at the external land border. The necessary preparatory works have been completed and in the near future, design works for the construction of smart infrastructure on both the Latvian-Belarusian and Latvian-Russian external land borders have started in several phases and construction works are planned to start at a later stage. Smart infrastructure is an innovative and structurally complex solution consisting of an electronic communications network (external electronic communications utilities, electronic communications poles, towers or masts), external electricity utilities, presence detection systems and surveillance equipment and related infrastructure that will significantly improve the response and prevention capabilities of the authorities involved in border surveillance.
Prepared by:
Ministry of the Interior
Communication Department