The official website of the President of Latvia, Egils Levits, has ceased to support the Russian language.

Now the page is only available in Latvian and English.

In the office of the head of the republic, this decision was motivated by the fact that the issue of communication of state administration in Russian has allegedly become "very sensitive" in connection with Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, local media report.

The day before, the President of Latvia said in an interview with Latvijas Radio about the appearance in the republic of "disloyal to the state" Russian-speaking residents, whom, in his opinion, should be "isolated from the rest of society."

The day before, he also urged the international community to step up pressure on Russia.

He made such a statement during a speech at the Crimean Platform summit, which was held online by Kyiv.

“In this struggle, we are together with Ukraine.

Latvia renders all possible assistance.

But we all need to do more.

Military, financial and humanitarian support is essential.

However, we must also step up international pressure on Russia,” Levits said.

In turn, the ex-President of Latvia Valdis Zatlers, speaking on the air of Latvijas Radio 4, called the transition of schools from Russian to Latvian a planned process.

He claims that teachers oppose such a transition, and admitted that a third of his grandson's classmates are children from Russian families.

At the same time, the ex-president expressed bewilderment that when parents come to school for them, they "suddenly switch to Russian."

  • Protest in Latvia

  • RIA News

  • © Stringer

"The Path to Rising Ethnic Tensions"

As a reminder, in Latvia from September 2023, students in the first, fourth and seventh grades will receive education only in the Latvian language.

From 2024, the same scheme will be used in the second, fifth and eighth grades, and a year later - in the third, sixth and ninth grades.

At the same time, according to local media, the amendments to the Law on Education, which were considered in the second reading last week in the Latvian Seimas, provide for the right of the school administration to dismiss teachers if their knowledge of the Latvian language does not meet the level established earlier by law.

Now a teacher in such a situation can only be fined by the State Language Center, but not deprived of work.

In turn, the Minister of Justice of Latvia, Janis Bordans, in an interview with the Delfi portal on August 13, said that the Latvian authorities are developing a law restricting the use of the Russian language at work and in public places.

Bordans admitted that the Russian language could also be excluded from telephone and banking messages.

According to him, now the inhabitants of Latvia simultaneously use the Russian and Latvian languages ​​in everyday communication, as well as in the workplace, and “this should not be allowed,” the minister believes. 

It is worth noting that Moscow has repeatedly drawn attention to the violation of the rights of Russian speakers in Latvia.

So, in May, the Russian Foreign Ministry published a commentary by the official representative of the department, Maria Zakharova, which says that Riga, with its measures against the Russian language, is imposing a “policy of separation and isolation” on the non-Latvian population of the republic.

“It is clear that for Latvia this is a direct path not to “cohesion”, but to a further increase in ethnic tension,” Zakharova noted.

As stated in the June report of the Russian Foreign Ministry “On Violations of the Rights of Russian Citizens and Compatriots in Foreign Countries”, since the end of February 2022, the use of the Russian language in Latvia has been used for provocation purposes, in particular, to organize clashes with Russian-speaking residents of Latvia.

“So, during a rally near the building of the Russian Consulate General, a local activist O. Makeev was beaten.

The reason was the misunderstanding that had arisen due to the use of the Latvian language.

On this incident, the police opened only an administrative investigation, ”the document says.

In addition, the Russian Foreign Ministry stressed that, using the "unfolding Russophobia", the Latvian authorities also decided to finally "cleanse" the education sector from the use of the Russian language.

“Trying to create an intolerable atmosphere”

According to Vladimir Simindei, head of research programs at the Historical Memory Foundation, the disappearance of the Russian-language version from the official website of the President of Latvia should be regarded as another step by Riga to infringe on the rights of the Russian-speaking population of the republic.

“This is a Russophobic measure designed to create as many new troubles as possible for local Russians, humiliate them, create discomfort, somehow limit them using such linguistic tools,” the expert said in an interview with RT.

And the statement of the Latvian president about the need to isolate Russian-speaking residents “disloyal to the state” is “saturated with the spirit of neo-Nazism,” Simindei noted.

“These arguments about the need to isolate Russians are a direct reflection of the state policy of Latvia.

Levits allows himself openly neo-Nazi conclusions, ”the analyst believes.

In his opinion, Latvia continues to sink into a deep Russophobia and take new measures to "cancel" all Russian - and especially the language.

“The Latvian authorities are trying to create an intolerant atmosphere regarding the use of the Russian language in the public sphere, to ban its use in the workplace.

However, the main blows are aimed at eradicating the Russian language in the education system.

At the same time, Riga continues to blasphemously destroy the memory of those who brought her liberation from the Nazi invaders, in particular, by destroying the memorial to the soldiers-liberators of the Soviet army, is trying to put pressure on the international community on the abolition of tourist visas for Russians and continues to infringe on the rights of so-called non-citizens " - Russians in Latvia without citizenship, ”the expert said.

  • Meeting of the Latvian Seimas

  • AP

  • © The Parliament, Saeima, of the Republic of Latvia

At the same time, according to Simindei, in order to somehow justify their actions, Riga uses the “Ukrainian case”.

“The Latvian leadership believes that openly anti-Russian neo-Nazi initiatives can be pushed through under the auspices of supporting Ukraine.

They believe that the evil they do under this flag automatically turns into "good".

In Riga, this primitive scheme is now actively used, ”the analyst noted.

Boris Mezhuev, an associate professor at Moscow State University, shares a similar opinion.

According to him, due to the rhetoric about the Ukrainian conflict, Latvia wants to mask its actions that violate the rights of its own inhabitants.

“Riga shamelessly uses this card to tighten measures against the Russian language and the Russian-speaking population of its country.

Against the backdrop of Russophobic hysteria around the world, the Latvian authorities felt that they could afford even more permissiveness.

Now it is easier for them to promote such initiatives.

Moreover, they think that for their zeal they will receive bonuses from the West.

Riga, which is tightening its fight against Russian speakers, hopes that in this way it will increase its status in the eyes of Western countries, ”the expert said in a commentary to RT.

At the same time, analysts agree that, given such a political context, the situation around the oppression of the Russian national minority in Latvia will only worsen over time.

“The Russian language will continue to be limited everywhere, inventing new areas in which it could be forbidden to speak it.

Russophobia will take on more and more sophisticated forms, which we are already seeing to some extent now, including in the situation around the website of the President of Latvia.

It is a shame for the authorities of the republic, who are thus pursuing an openly Nazi policy.

It is clear that it will be more and more difficult for Russians to live in Latvia,” Mezhuev said.

Vladimir Simindei also has no doubts that the Latvian authorities will continue to expand the range of spheres of life of the population, where a strict ban will be imposed on the use of the Russian language.

According to him, such initiatives will continue to be implemented, but in practice they will face serious resistance, since many residents of Latvia use the Russian language.

  • Riga

  • Gettyimages.ru

  • © Omar Marques/SOPA Images/LightRocket

“They use it in everyday life, for many this language is native, so it will not be possible to simply and quickly eradicate it.

Riga is now taking advantage of what it sees as a window of opportunity to limit the rights of Russian speakers.

However, by doing so, the authorities create a reserve for future troubles, when the international situation changes and they find themselves in an extremely disadvantageous position, ”the expert concluded.