Despite unfavourable weather conditions, construction of infrastructure along Latvia’s eastern border is nearing completion, Interior Minister Rihards Kozlovskis (JV) told journalists on Tuesday after the Cabinet meeting.
The border fence is almost fully built, and the schedule for installing the smart infrastructure is currently ahead of plan by about two months, the minister noted, adding that the full infrastructure is expected to be completed next year.
On Tuesday, the Cabinet of Ministers acknowledged the Interior Ministry’s information report detailing the status of border protection infrastructure as of the 1st of November.
The infrastructure is being constructed using the design and build method, with design, construction and supervision organised and ensured by the State Real Estate Agency (VNĪ).
On the Latvian–Belarusian border,
construction of the fence was completed in full across 144.47 km already last July.
In 2023, the fence was built along land sections (112 km), and in 2024 the sections along public waters were completed.
Patrol paths have also been finished along the Latvian–Belarusian border: 119.8 km for patrolling with light vehicles, 1.75 km of pontoon patrol paths, and 27.19 km of boardwalk patrol paths.
As construction sites are officially handed over and formal acceptance procedures continue, the already built infrastructure is actively used for its intended purpose — border protection. Additional improvements are also being made, such as equipping culverts with protective mechanisms and implementing extra engineering solutions.
On the section of the Latvian–Belarusian border near the Daugava River, six communication towers and access roads have been built; they were commissioned in January 2025. To ensure full functionality, the Latvian State Radio and Television Centre (LVRTC) is installing the necessary technological equipment. Installation work has begun and is scheduled to be completed by the end of April 2026.
Under VNĪ’s management,
work is proceeding on the Latvian–Russian border as well,
where 272 km of a high-security fence have been built out of a total 278 km. Full completion is expected by the end of this year.
Four suspension bridges over the Zilupe, Ludza, Liepna and Rītupe rivers have been commissioned. Work continues to fix defects in the built fence, and the gradual formal commissioning process has begun.
Design work also continues, and in the next phase, border protection infrastructure without fencing will be constructed — including patrol paths, one tower and access roads totalling roughly 41.26 km in areas not covered in previous phases.
Meanwhile, the eastern border is being equipped with cutting-edge technologies to further enhance border security — surveillance systems, presence detection technologies, observation devices and related technological infrastructure.
The technological infrastructure is being installed and implemented by LVRTC. The full technological upgrade of the entire external land border is planned to be completed by the end of 2026, with several phases finishing earlier.
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