The previous rotation ESTPOL11 returned to Estonia in mid-July. As the migratory pressure at the Latvian-Belarusian border did not ease, the Police and Border Guard Department began preparations to send the next unit. An official request for assistance from the Latvian side was received on July 28. If the situation at the border does not change in the coming weeks, the Police and Border Guard Department will continue to send ESTPOL rotations to Latvia until the end of September. This means that over the next two months, four Estonian units will provide support to their Latvian colleagues. On Monday morning, August 3, the third rotation of ESTPOL11, consisting of 11 people, departed from the South Estonia Prefecture to the southeastern border of Latvia. According to the prefect of the South Estonia Prefecture of the Police and Border Guard Department, Vaiko Vaher, the situation at the Latvian-Belarusian border has not changed. "On average, more than a hundred people attempt to illegally cross from Belarus into Latvia every day, and some of them have reached Estonia in recent weeks. To ensure that the external border of the European Union is protected and that our southern neighbors can prevent and combat illegal immigration, we will continue to assist our Latvian colleagues over the next two months. The Latvian-Belarusian border is the place where we can contain the migratory pressure that reaches us as well. This is not a distant problem that only our neighbors should deal with, as the border between Latvia and Belarus is the external border of both NATO and the European Union. By contributing there, we are collectively helping to protect the external border of the EU from illegal activities," Vaher explained. The head of the third rotation of ESTPOL, Rain Järv, noted that by assisting Latvia, Estonian police are also helping their colleagues and partners in Estonia. "In our southern neighbors, we are acting directly in the 'hot spot,' and the efforts made there, we hope, will have a positive impact on the situation in Estonia as well. We have a multidisciplinary team that includes instructors, patrol police, and border guards, who work daily in the South Estonia, Lääne, and Ida Prefectures. During the rotation, we will be able to practice practical cooperation with our Latvian colleagues and representatives from other neighboring countries that also support Latvia in containing migratory pressure. Additionally, assisting Latvia provides an opportunity to familiarize ourselves with situations arising during a hybrid attack, so that we are prepared if something similar occurs in Estonia," said rotation leader Järv. The third rotation of ESTPOL11, which departed for Latvia on Monday, will be there until mid-August, after which it will be replaced by the next unit.