Latvian authorities say masked gunmen threatened troops as they tried to ferry 20 migrants across from Belarus, then crossed the border into Latvia themselves and stole surveillance cameras.

Armed, masked people attempted to smuggle a group of 20 migrants across the Belarusian border into Latvia and threatened soldiers of the Latvian National Armed Forces, according to Latvian Interior Minister Janis Dombrava and the country’s armed forces.

Dombrava said Latvian soldiers stopped the group from crossing the border. The people accompanying the migrants remained on the Belarusian side, he said. They were armed, threatened the soldiers and “actively pushed and guided the group of migrants towards Latvia”.

A few hours later, the masked people also entered Latvian territory. Dombrava said they damaged an electrical distribution panel and stole surveillance cameras, then returned to Belarus before border guards arrived.

“Belarus must understand that such incidents could have more serious consequences for Belarus itself,” the minister said.

In 2021, the number of migrants attempting to enter Europe illegally increased along the Belarus-EU border. The EU has blamed the migration crisis on Belarusian authorities, alleging that Belarusian law enforcement was deliberately bringing migrants into the border area without making any effort to prevent them from crossing illegally. Latvian and Lithuanian border guards regularly prevent migrants from illegally entering their countries from Belarus.