Contents tagged with Latvia
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Russian spy detained in Latvia
A citizen of Latvia has been detained on suspicion that he was collecting data about military objects and situations in the area adjacent to the Latvian-Russian border and passing it to the Russian special services, according to reports by LSM.lv Latvian news outlet.
No detailed information was revealed for legal reasons to preserve the secrecy of the investigation.
The Latvian Security Police that conducted the arrest elaborated on the statement saying that the Russian special services (FSB) …
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Latvian Ambassador to Russia: if Moscow stations Iskander missile systems permanently in Kaliningrad NATO will have to respond
If the recent permanent deployment of Iskander mobile short-range ballistic missile systems to the Kaliningrad region (the Russian Federation) are confirmed, this could be interpreted as a step toward the imbalance and destabilizing of the situation with Russia, according to the Ambassador of Latvia to Russia, Maris Riekstins, on LTV’s Rita Panorama program.
According to the Rus.TVNET, Mr. Riekstins also said that Russia had not announced the stationing of the missile systems, though there had …
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Former NATO Secretary General becomes advisor to Russian-owned bank in Latvia
Former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has been appointed Deputy Chairman of the Board at Latvian bank Norvik Banka, according to the website of the international intelligence community InformNapalm.
Grigory Guselnikov, a Russian banker, is the owner of Norvik Banka; he also controls Vyatka Bank.
In July, the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) denied Grigory Guselnikov and Sait-Salam Gutseriev from purchasing the Ukrainian branch of Sberbank.
"This bank [Vyatka Bank] recently tried …
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Latvia puts previously deported Russian journalist on entry-ban list
A journalist from a state-run Russian television station, the TVC, Anatoly Kuravlev, who was detained in Latvia and deported, was also put on the entry-ban list for an indefinite period of time, Latvian Interior Minister Rihards Kozlovskis stated on the LNT Latvian television.
“This is not a prohibition for life, it is a temporary prohibition, which is revised every three years by the authority that issued it, in this case by the Interior Ministry,” the Minister said, however, he did not cite …
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Media: Latvia considers recognizing Russian TV channels as foreign agents
The Latvian Social Democratic Workers’ Party (LSDWP) has prepared a petition calling for the adoption of a law that would give the Russian TV channels in the country the status of foreign agents, reported Russian newspaper Izvestiya.
The request was registered by LSDWP board member Raymond Leijnieks-Puke. According to the news outlet, the document was placed on the official social initiatives platform, where citizens can collect the necessary 10,000 signatures for the document to be …
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Special secret units will be created in the Latvian army
The National Armed Forces of Latvia carried out structural changes that envisage the creation of a directorate of special operations and special secret units, stated the commander of the Latvian Armed Forces Leonid Kalnins, Delfi reports.
According to him, the structure of the army is outdated and does not meet the demands for developing the combat capability and defense of the country.
The commander noted that the units of special operations are one of the cornerstones of national defense. …
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Estonia and Latvia begin joint military exercises Hurricane 2017
In Estonia, on Saaremaa Island and in Pärnu County, large-scale exercises named Orkaan-2017 (Hurricane-2017) organized by the voluntary paramilitary organization Kaitseliit (Estonian Defense League) are to begin soon.
Over a thousand people from Estonia and Latvia will participate in the exercises, Interfax reports citing the press service of Kaitseliit.
As the head of the Lääne County of the Defense League, Lieutenant Colonel Tõnu Mijl stated, "the exercise will also involve local government …
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Latvia detects Russian warplanes near its borders
Two Russian Su-27 aircraft were detected near the border of Latvia, as reported on Twitter by the National Armed Forces of the country.
The message says that the Latvian planes while on a patrol duty above the neutral waters of the Baltic Sea noticed two Su-27 fighters from Russian Armed Forces flying near the Latvia’s sea border.
In October, the Latvian military reported that a ship and a submarine of the Russian Navy had been seen near Latvia's borders. According to the National Armed …
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Latvia to pass a law giving equal recognition to those who fought against either the USSR or Nazi Germany
The Latvian Saeima has approved, on its second reading, a draft law on awarding the status of participant in the Second World War, Delfi news agency reports.
As stated in the law’s commentary, the goal of this step is to recognize the merits of Latvian citizens who participated in this global conflict, regardless of who they fought against: Nazi Germany and its allies, or against the USSR.
Additionally, the law stipulates that Latvia does not bear legal responsibility for crimes committed by …
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Latvia detects Russian warplanes and warships near its borders
On Friday and Saturday, October 27 and 28, the Latvian National Armed Forces recorded the presence of a Russian plane and Russian Navy ships near Latvian borders, reported Delfi.
On October 28, in the exclusive economic zone of Latvia, 14 miles off Latvian coast, armed forces identified the Russian Sura-class buoy tender Kilektor-1 ship. On October 27, the Viktor Konetsky tug boat was recorded 16 miles off Latvian coast.
NATO patrol aircraft also identified yesterday a Russian Air Force An-27 …