Fake about “Latvian border guard blown up by a mine”
russian propaganda spreads a fake about the “death of a Latvian border guard due to a mine explosion.” russian propagandists claim that this is the “first victim after Latvia’s withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention.”
▫️ This information is not true. There are no reports of such an incident in the Latvian press, nor any official statements. The fake about the “Latvian border guard killed by a mine” was first spread at the end of July this year by a pro-russian blogger who left Latvia for belarus. Later, he deleted this statement from his social media. Now this story has been “revived” through russian media.
▫️ In reality, there are currently no anti-personnel mines on the Latvian border. Although the Latvian parliament decided in April 2025 to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention, it will effectively remain in force until December 27 of this year. Until that day, Latvia is prohibited from producing, storing, or using anti-personnel mines. Therefore, the claim about “mined borders” is not true.
The purpose of such disinformation is to present the Baltic states’ decision to strengthen border security as a “threat to their own citizens,” thereby undermining trust in the authorities and diverting attention from the real danger — russia’s aggressive policy itself.
russian federation systematically resorts to manipulation and lies to discredit the Baltic states’ leadership decisions to strengthen their security amid the growing russian threat. The Center detailed this in an analytical report
