The number of Latvian citizens who traveled to Russia and Belarus this year has been counted 0 19

The State Security Service (SSS) has repeatedly publicly urged residents of Latvia to refrain from traveling to Russia and Belarus due to high risks of intelligence activities, recruitment, and provocations.

The SSS emphasizes that any person, regardless of their profession or access to classified information, may become a target of interest for Russian and Belarusian special services. At the same time, the capabilities of Latvian institutions to assist citizens who find themselves in difficult situations in Russia or Belarus are limited.

According to the service, Russian and Belarusian special services actively take advantage of the opportunity to interrogate and recruit foreigners on their territory, where they have broad freedom of action. To coerce individuals into cooperation, they may resort to aggressive and illegal methods.

For those who still need to visit one of these countries, the SSS recommends not taking their primary mobile phone, especially if it contains official or confidential information. During border control, such devices may be copied, and the phone itself may be infected with spyware. A safer option is to use a phone with a prepaid SIM card, which can be discarded after the trip. It is also recommended not to take a computer, flash drives, or other data storage devices.

According to the SSS, the identification of potential recruitment targets may begin already at border control points. Representatives of the special services may pose as border guards or operate undercover as law enforcement officers or other government officials from Russia and Belarus. Additionally, the information they are interested in may be obtained during a casual conversation.

The service also warns that employees of Russian and Belarusian special services may aggressively and ultimatum accuse a person of committing violations or crimes, and then attempt to coerce them into cooperation in exchange for immunity or expedited border control processing.

In case of suspicion of contact with representatives of Russian or Belarusian special services, the SSS urges immediate reporting of this via the 24-hour phone number 67208964 or by email at [email protected].