AssessmentMade on Transport Ministry's Proposed Measures Limiting Passenger Travel to Belarus and Russia
Latvia is set to impose restrictions on occasional bus travel to Belarus and Russia, effective from October 15, 2025. The decision comes in response to growing security concerns associated with increased passenger travel to these countries.
According to data collected by the Latvian Transport Ministry, the number of residents traveling to both countries has seen a significant increase. Nearly 2,000 Latvian residents are traveling to Russia per month, while the estimated number of travelers to Belarus is around 5,000 per month.
The proposed regulation targets occasional, non-regular passenger bus services, such as one-off trips with pre-planned routes for tourism, sports events, or other special occasions. Regular bus services between the countries will not be affected by this ban.
The decision is primarily motivated by security concerns, as cited by the Latvian Ministry of Transport. The Ministry, in cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior and the Road Transport Administration, has collected and analyzed data showing a rise in the number of passengers traveling to Belarus and Russia by bus.
The Security Service of Latvia has expressed concerns about travel to Russia and Belarus, citing risks of espionage, recruiting, and provocation. These risks have been highlighted in the Security Service's 2024 report, which indicates a rise in travel to Russia despite repeated warnings against it.
The Belarusian visa waiver has contributed to the trend of increased travel to Belarus. However, the State Security Service's report does not provide similar data for travel to Belarus.
The State Border Guard will be obliged to prevent non-regular bus trips to Belarus and Russia through specific border crossings, as per the decree to be issued by the Latvian government on October 15, 2025.
Transport Minister Atis Svinka (Progressives) has emphasized that this trend increases security risks on Latvia's external borders, which is why a regulation has been prepared to restrict passenger bus traffic to Belarus and Russia.
The preparation of this regulation is still ongoing, and the Security Service has declined to provide more detailed comments about the regulation at this time. However, it is clear that the regulation aims to control and monitor passenger flows more strictly due to security risks while maintaining essential scheduled transportation links.
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