In Riga, they started talking about the demolition of the Nativity Cathedral and the mass deportation of Russians

Activist Sergei Vasiliev spoke about the growth of Russophobia in Latvia

In Riga, in the Kronvalda park, at the place where the monument to Alexander Pushkin stood, the townspeople bring flowers. The bronze figure of the poet was demolished from the pedestal on the night of May 30, as a monument “glorifying the Soviet regime.” Although the authorities officially refer to the fact that its installation did not comply with regulations. We asked Sergey Vasiliev, who is called the main “Anti-Fascist of the Baltics”, to comment on what happened.

“This was to be expected, this time,” says activist Sergei Vasiliev. – In my opinion, this is another “request” of the Latvian authorities to put the country in line for denazification, for the eradication of Nazism, these are two. It is clear that they will not calm down. The fact that this is a provocation is also clear. The fact that it is aimed at Russia is also understandable. They will constantly, looking into our eyes, hurt us. At the same time, they will see how we react. They will step on the “sore spot”, forcing us to react. This is the task set by the Americans.

Sergei Alexandrovich was born in Riga, graduated from the Latvian Law University. He had his own company in Helsinki. In 2014-15, he provided humanitarian assistance to the residents of Donbass. For which in Finland a criminal case was opened against him under the article “Sponsoring of terrorism”. A similar case was brought against him in September 2022 in Latvia. Sergei Vasiliev was threatened with life imprisonment. Having received a subpoena, he was forced to flee Latvia and seek asylum in Russia.

Sergei Vasiliev recalls that on December 1, thousands of Russian-speaking pensioners with Russian citizenship who cannot pass the Latvian language exam can be expelled from Latvia. Riga is not interested in whether a person came to Latvia recently or has lived here for several decades.

– The deportation of the elderly is planned. Of the 58,000 Russian citizens who are now in the territory of Latvia, 28,000 of the most helpless were chosen, who already walk poorly, are disabled, and depend on oxygen and insulin. Why was December 1st chosen? Because it’s New Year’s Eve, it’s going to be cold. And the authorities of Latvia will arrange a humanitarian catastrophe on the border with Russia. And they will watch how Russia will react to the fact that so many old, sick people will immediately appear on its border.

We are talking about those residents of Latvia who, during the collapse of the USSR in 1991, were denied citizenship, giving them the status of “non-citizens”. Later, many of them took Russian citizenship, continuing to live in Latvia. Now, in order to confirm their permanent residence permit (permit), they are required to pass an exam in the Latvian language at a level not lower than the average. These are reading, writing, speaking and listening tests.

“Exams are different,” says Sergey Vasiliev. – In principle, there is nothing complicated in the Latvian language. And every person who lives in Latvia speaks it. At least he understands the language. The whole problem is the language requirements for this exam. I also speak Russian fluently, but my mother-in-law, a philologist, proved to me with one “click of her fingers” that Russian is a foreign language for me. The same is true for Latvian. At the level of oral communication, you can pass the exam, but they also require knowledge of the literary language. And this can be a problem for a person for whom the Latvian language is not native. I would not have passed this exam either, although I speak Latvian fluently. And not every Latvian would pass this test.

At the same time, the expulsion of Russian old people cannot be called “deportation” in Latvia. They can also be fined, as happened with the pro-government portal TVnet, which “flew” a fine of 8,500 euros.

Our interlocutor is sure that Russophobia in Latvia will only grow. All the monuments to Soviet soldiers have already been demolished, recently in a Riga park they removed from the pedestal and sent to the warehouse a bronze figure of Pushkin. Only because he is a Russian poet.

– In the Saeima of Latvia, another bill is “hanging out” that it is necessary to demolish the Nativity Cathedral. He supposedly does not correspond to the historical truth. This is the main decoration of Riga. But the cathedral is located directly opposite the Cabinet of Ministers – the government of the Republic of Latvia. Now they are collecting signatures for the demolition of the cathedral so that it does not obscure the horizon for the Cabinet of Ministers of democratic Latvia. I think that they will also get to the cathedral.