The Police and Border Guard Board deploys third rotation of ESTPOL8 to the Latvian-Belarusian border

On Thursday, 19 October, the third ESTPOL8 Team of the Police and Border Guard Board started its work in Latvia to prevent illegal immigration at the Latvian-Belarusian border.

The Police and Border Guard Board sent the third rotation of ESTPOL8 to Latvia to support the Latvian Border Guard in its efforts to curb illegal immigration. The third Police and Border Guard police unit has 12 members and is led by Nikita Golovin, the Head of the Patrol Division of the Jõhvi Police Station of the East Prefecture. The task of the third rotation is to participate in land patrols at the Latvian border, drone surveillance and situation monitoring. The deployment will last two weeks.

According to the chief of the border guard Veiko Kommusaar, Estonia will continue to support its southern neighbours as the Latvian Border Guard has asked the Police and Border Guard Board to extend its assistance at the Latvian-Belarusian border. “The first two ESTPOL8 rotations have done a very good job for almost a month. Unfortunately, we can see that the migratory pressure from Belarus towards Latvia is continuing, which is why the Police and Border Guard Board has decided to assist the Latvian Border Guard in its efforts to curb illegal immigration with the help of a third police unit. In this difficult security situation, it is necessary to stand united with our neighbours and support each other,” Kommusaar said.

Nikita Golovin, leader of ESTPOL8 third rotation, believes that helping Latvia is important and will give the team good experience. “The first two rotations have supported Latvian border guards at the Latvian-Belarusian border for four weeks in a row. The third unit, which has started its work today, will continue to prevent illegal immigration into the European Union like previous teams. I believe that our unit will gain valuable experience from the deployment on how to cooperate with international partners and curb mass immigration,” Golovin said.

The Police and Border Guard Board has sent to Latvia three ESTPOL8 teams who have supported its southern neighbours since 20 September. The first rotation returned from Latvia on 4 October and the second rotation on 18 October. Previously, Estonia has supported Lithuania in managing migratory pressures from Belarus with the help of ESTPOL5 teams in 2021 and ESTPOL7 police unit in 2023 in connection with the NATO Summit.