Latest news with #RihardsKozlovskis
Russia Today
02-06-2025
- Business
- Russia Today
EU state bars Russian property owners
Latvia has prohibited entry for Russian citizens who own real estate near strategically important sites in the country, citing national security concerns, local broadcaster TV3 reported on Monday. According to a statement from the Latvian State Security Service (VDD) cited in the report, a series of agency probes has identified risks emanating from Russian-owned properties near critical infrastructure. As a result, 'in several cases,' Russian property owners have been blacklisted and prohibited from entering Latvia. Latvian authorities are trying to limit purported Russian influence within its borders. A former Soviet republic, like Baltic neighbors Estonia and Lithuania, it has adopted an increasingly hardline stance against Moscow since the Ukraine conflict escalated in February 2022. Riga announced sweeping travel restrictions for Russian nationals, barred Russian-registered vehicles from entering the country, and introduced a mandatory Latvian language test for Russians, deporting thousands of those who refused to take it or failed. Riga has also moved to ban Russians from owning property. A bill presently before parliament aims to prohibit citizens of Russia and Belarus, as well as companies linked to them, from acquiring real estate in Latvia, citing potential threats to national security and circumvention of Western sanctions. Latvian Interior Minister Rihards Kozlovskis has cited 'a hybrid war' with Russia, and urged EU members prohibit the issuance of Schengen tourist visas to Russian nationals, alleging risks of sabotage. The three Baltic states, all NATO members bordering Russia, have also warned of potential invasion once the Ukraine conflict ends. Russia has repeatedly dismissed the warnings as 'nonsense' meant to scare the European population and justify increases in military spending. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova recently accused the Latvian authorities of 'blatant discrimination against Russians,' saying many of their policies were openly Russophobic. She said Russophobia had 'reached a new high' in the Baltics in recent years and warned that Latvia, in particular, would have to answer to the International Court of Justice if it continued with its discriminatory practices.
Russia Today
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
EU state calls for Schengen ban on Russians
Latvian Interior Minister Rihards Kozlovskis has urged EU member states to stop issuing Schengen tourist visas to Russian citizens, claiming they pose a threat to the bloc's national security, media have reported. Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, the EU has fully suspended its visa facilitation agreement with Russia and imposed travel restrictions. Latvia, along with Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Finland, and the Czech Republic, has banned tourist visas for Russian citizens. Norway, which shares a land border with Russia, and is not an EU member state, has also closed its border for Russian tourists and other 'non-essential' visitors. Presenting so-called Schengen Barometer data for 2024 in Brussels on Thursday, Kozlovskis said the EU 'must admit' that it is 'in a hybrid war' with Russia, and that 'this affects the daily work of security institutions both on the border and within the country,' X reported. He urged the bloc to 'seriously recognize the threat' that Russian tourists allegedly pose to the EU's internal security, asserting that a complete visa ban was the bloc's 'moral duty.' To justify his initiative, Kozlovskis claimed that Latvia has encountered 'illegal border crossers and acts of sabotage,' including 'the arson of the Occupation Museum, border crossings by drones, and propaganda attempts to influence public opinion.' The number of Schengen visas issued to Russian passport holders surged by 25% last year compared to 2023, surpassing 500,000 in total, despite sanctions targeting Russian applicants, according to the Schengen Barometer tracker. Italy led in visa applications received from Russians, accounting for 28% of all requests and granting 134,141 visas, which made it the primary destination for Russian tourists within the Schengen Area, data showed. Last month, the National Security Committee of the Latvian parliament drafted a law proposing a travel ban to Russia and Belarus for certain government employees. The restrictions would also apply to transit through these countries. Latvia has taken a hardline anti-Russian stance since the conflict in Ukraine broke out, announcing sweeping travel restrictions for Russian nationals including barring Russian-registered vehicles from entering the country. Along with neighboring Estonia and Lithuania, Latvia has also exhibited hostility to its ethnic Russian minority, which currently comprises around 25% of the country's population. In addition to spending more than 1% of its entire GDP on weapons for Ukraine, Latvia has begun to deport thousands of Russians who refused to take or failed a mandatory Latvian language test. It has also destroyed Soviet-era World War II monuments, as well as arresting dozens of people for celebrating the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Latvia urges EU to stop issuing tourist visas to Russian citizens
Rihards Kozlovskis, Minister of Internal Affairs of Latvia, has called on European Union countries at a meeting of the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council in Brussels to completely stop issuing Schengen tourist visas to Russian citizens. Source: Minister of Internal Affairs of Latvia Details: Kozlovskis justified his initiative by stating that Russia is waging a "hybrid war" against Europe. He cited several examples of dangerous activities, including illegal border crossings, acts of sabotage, the use of drones and information warfare campaigns. Quote: "Under the current circumstances, we cannot continue business as usual. We must acknowledge that we are in a state of hybrid war. In Latvia, this affects the daily work of security authorities both at the border and within the country. We are facing both illegal border crossings and acts of sabotage, such as the arson of the Museum of the Occupation, drone border crossings, propaganda attempts to influence public opinion, etc. Therefore, I urge all member states to take this threat seriously. Our moral duty is to stop such services." Details: Following the European Commission data, 565,069 Schengen visas were issued to Russian citizens in 2024, which is 25% more than in 2023. Meanwhile, 90% of these visas were for tourism purposes. The total share of visas issued to Russian citizens was 5.7% of all Schengen visas issued during the year. Kozlovskis reiterated that Latvia had stopped issuing tourist visas to Russian citizens in 2022, after the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The country only issues visas for humanitarian reasons now. Similar measures were taken by Estonia, Lithuania, Poland and Czechia. Background: The National Security Committee of the Latvian Saeima has prepared a draft law that includes a ban on travel to Russia and Belarus for certain government employees. The ban on travel will also extend to transit through Russia and Belarus. On 20 February, members of the Saeima supported in the first reading a bill that prohibits Russian and Belarusian citizens or legal entities owned by them from purchasing real estate in the country. Latvia is also preparing changes to legislation that will prevent Russian and Belarusian citizens from holding leadership and other positions in critical infrastructure, which provide access to sensitive information. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
