Latvia to close only land crossing for Ukrainians to enter Russia through third country

At a special meeting, Latvia approved the Interior Ministry’s proposal to close the Vientuli and Pededze checkpoints on the border with Russia on October 16, reports the Latvian public broadcaster LSM.

Latvia said the decision was due to Moscow introducing a special procedure for Ukrainian citizens coming from third countries to enter Russia. According to the Russian government’s orders, Ukrainians coming to Russia from third countries will only be able to enter through the Ludonka checkpoint in the Pskov Region (Vientuli checkpoint on the Latvian side) and Sheremetyevo Airport starting on October 16.

Latvia’s Interior Ministry said this could provoke a situation in which citizens of Ukraine and other countries would be forced to head to Latvia and then stay in the country while waiting for their turn to cross the Russian border. The ministry believes that this would lead to circumstances at the border that could significantly affect public order and “entail a threat to national security.”

The ministry said the Russian authorities’ decision was a response to the ban on cars with Russian license plates entering the E.U.