Who is behind ‘Black Rus,’ the mysterious group claiming responsibility for an armed incursion into Latvia from Belarus?

A group known as "Black Rus" (Chyornye Rusy) has taken responsibility for an armed encroachment into Latvia from Belarus on October 6. The masked men, who were traveling with a group of migrants, later crossed the border into Latvia, causing damage to an electrical distribution panel and stealing surveillance cameras before returning to Belarus.

A video statement by Black Rus was posted on a Telegram channel on October 12, in which a masked man with an altered voice claimed it was a test and predicted similar incidents along the border. Experts interviewed by Latvian journalists suggested that Black Rus was likely a project of intelligence services, noting that such a group could not exist in either Russia or Belarus without the authorities' knowledge.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko alleged that Latvia had orchestrated the border incident to secure funds from the European Union, stating that only the president could approve such operations. However, Belarus denies any involvement. Latvia and other neighboring European countries have frequently accused Minsk of fueling the migration crisis by allowing groups of migrants to cross illegally into the EU.

The Belarusian authorities have denied these claims. Latvian Interior Minister Janis Dombrava reported that about 12,000 illegal migrants attempting to cross from Belarus were stopped from entering Latvia since the beginning of 2026, as part of Operation Werewolf (Vilkatis). He also mentioned several incidents of surveillance equipment damage on the Latvian side of the border, though no conclusive evidence of involvement from Russian or Belarusian intelligence services has been presented.