Latest news with #VDD
Russia Today
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
EU state to prosecute MP for speaking Russian (VIDEO)
Latvia's State Security Service (VDD) has launched a criminal investigation against MP Aleksey Roslikov for speaking Russian at a parliamentary session last week. The lawmaker has been accused of 'providing assistance to the aggressor state' as well as inciting 'hatred' and 'sowing discord,' the agency said in a statement on Monday. On Thursday, Roslikov of the For Stability! party spoke out in parliament against a declaration that would effectively ban the use of the Russian language in public space in Latvia. The initiative is seeking to 'eradicate the consequences' of the alleged 'Russification' of the country, which authorities in Riga claim took place under Soviet rule from 1940 to 1991. Russian-speakers are an inalienable part of the Latvian society, Roslikov insisted, and criticized their growing marginalization. While he spoke in Latvian, he concluded it with a phrase in Russian, proclaiming: 'There are more of us, and Russian is our language.' 🇱🇻 Latvian MP Aleksejs Roslikovs has been expelled from parliament after criticizing a declaration on Soviet-era 'Russification' and concluding his speech in Russian. He warned of growing discrimination: 'What's next—banning Russian names?' Before walking out, he declared: 'We… He faces up to five years in prison if found guilty. Russian-speakers make up nearly a quarter of the Baltic country's population. The criminal case was initiated after the security service 'evaluated' Roslikov's speech as well as 'other recent activities,' the statement said. The VDD also said it had repeatedly 'warned' the lawmaker about 'potential criminal liability' for his actions. In late May, new parliamentary laws were approved, according to which MPs should only communicate in parliament in the official – Latvian – language. Roslikov's speech reportedly outraged many of his colleagues, as 63 MPs out of 100 instantly voted to expel him from the session. Describing the criminal case against him as 'bewildering,' Roslikov claimed he was defending a part of the Latvian population against 'persecution' under 'an absolutely criminal law.' He vowed to 'fight' and stated that he 'has no reasons to stop.' Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, Latvia and its Baltic neighbors, Estonia and Lithuania, have intensified their collective stance against Russia. Riga has implemented travel restrictions targeting Russian citizens and banned vehicles with license plates from the country. It also introduced a mandatory Latvian language test for long-term residents of Russian origin. Hundreds who failed or refused the exam have been deported. The Kremlin has denounced the measures as 'blatant discrimination against Russians.'
The Sun
7 hours ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Latvia probes MP over Russian language rights row
RIGA: Latvia said on Monday it had initiated a criminal case against lawmaker Aleksejs Roslikovs for backing Russia, an 'aggressor state', and fomenting hatred in the country. The State Security Service (VDD) intelligence agency said this followed a June 5 parliamentary debate when Roslikovs, a member of the Russian-speaking minority, was removed from the chamber. He had shouted in Russian 'We are the majority!' and 'Russian is our language', according to Latvian media. He is suspected of 'providing assistance to the aggressor state Russia in action directed against Latvia and triggering national hatred and enmity,' the VDD said. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison. The debate followed Latvia's decision, taken after Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, for Russian-speaking residents of Latvia to pass the Latvian language exam or face deportation. As of 2025, around 23 percent of Latvia's 1.8 million population describe themselves as ethnic Russian, according to the country's statistics office. However, the requirement to pass the language exam will only apply to a small portion of the ethnic Russian population. Roslikovs is head of the For Stability! party, which advocates for the ethnic Russian minority. The eurosceptic party secured 10 seats in the 2022 parliamentary election. In a video posted on Facebook, Roslikovs said the accusations were the result of his fight 'for truth and justice' and that he was 'defending part of the population that lives in Latvia'. Contacted by AFP, his political party did not respond to a request for comment.
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.
