About 10.000 Russian citizens have a residence permit in Latvia. The head of the Ministry of foreign affairs of Latvia, Edgars Rinkevics, announced an update: citizens of the Russian Federation who have a residence permit in Latvia and live in this country will be tested for pro-military views.
"We will reduce and will not continue the residence permits obtained through investments, as well as through other programs," Edgars Rinkevics.
Rinkevics does not rule out that the Russians will be forced to answer the questions "Whose Crimea? What is happening in Ukraine?" Thus, the respondent's attitude to Russian politics, which is officially recognized as a terrorist, will be shown.
"If a person simply runs away from mobilization in Russia and lives here (in Latvia), this is one thing. But if, at the same time, she continues to promote the Putin regime, and there are some — this is a completely different case. I do not consider such checks on Russians as blackmail or pressure. What happened on February 24, 2022, dramatically changed the attitude towards Russia. And this is not only the fault of one person, Putin: we see this as a war waged by the whole of Russia," minister Rinkevics.
The minister clearly separates those Russians who are fleeing the mobilization and those who support the war, quietly and safely tracking in Latvia.
"These people are not against the war that Russia is waging in Ukraine, but against mobilization, and this is a big difference. If you think what is happening in Russia now is unacceptable, speak out against the Russian authorities."
The decision of the Ministry is not a marker of the biased attitude of the government of the state towards the Russians. On the contrary: for security reasons, Latvia is ready to receive thousands of citizens of the aggressor country.
