Latvia Is Warning That Russia Is Trying To Promote Regime Change In Its Government

Latvian parliament (Source: acreurope.eu)

Paul Goble, Eurasia Daily Monitor: Kremlin Covertly Promoting Regime Change in Latvia, Riga Security Official Warns

Thanks to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as well as its own efforts, Latvia almost certainly is protected against a Russian military threat of the kind some in Moscow constantly threaten the Baltic States with. Indeed, a new Estonian government report specifically concludes that a Russian military threat to the Baltic countries is relatively low (Valisluureamet.ee, February 2018). And yet, Latvia—to an even greater extent than its two immediate NATO neighbors—is now confronted by expanding Russian efforts to undermine its key domestic institutions. According to Jānis Maizītis, who heads the Bureau for the Defense of the Constitution of Latvia, the country’s banks and businesses are under threat, and Moscow is even trying to promote regime change via the ballot box, as it has attempted to do in other countries (Svpressa.ru, February 5).

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WNU Editor:  Latvians make up only 60% of the population of Latvia (Demographics of Latvia, Wikipedia). The other 40% are Russians, Belorussians, etc.. So why the concerns now .... Russians in Latvia are making their voices heard, especially on this issue .... Living in limbo: Latvia’s “non-citizen” policy leaves thousands feeling stateless (VICE News). As a voting bloc .... if given the right to vote .... Russians will have the votes to change the political culture in Latvia, and for some in Latvia that is not acceptable. Hence the warnings that Russia is pushing for regime change .... even though this is really an internal Latvian affair where the policy that is under threat is on who has the right to vote in the country's elections.