Russia looking for different ways to target individuals who oppose Russia's war in Ukraine - State Security Service

RIGA - Russia is looking for different ways to target individuals who actively oppose Russia's war in Ukraine in their political and public activities, including by using legal instruments in Russia's interests, the State Security Service told LETA, commenting on news reports that a number of Western parliament and government members, including from Latvia, are wanted in Russia.

Given the current geopolitical situation, Russian and Belarusian intelligence agencies' operations on Latvian territory are limited. At the same time, Latvian nationals who enter the territory of Russia or Belarus, as well as countries that have close relations and legal cooperation with Russia and Belarus, are exposed to a high risk of being targeted by Russian law enforcement agencies or special services, the Security Service points out.

The Security Service repeatedly calls on Latvian nationals, in particular state and municipal officials, to refrain from traveling to Russia, Belarus, CIS countries, as well as other countries known for favorable attitude toward Russia.

As reported, independent Russian website Mediazona has collated all the wanted notices from the database on the Russian Internal Affairs Ministry's website and discovered that Russia is actively seeking not only dozens of European politicians and officials on criminal charges, including from Latvia, but also numerous high-ranking Ukrainian military officials and hundreds of individuals whom investigators label as "foreign mercenaries" in the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

According to Mediazona, 59 of the 68 Saeima deputies who voted for exiting an agreement with Russia on preserving memorials, leading to the removal of Soviet monuments in Latvia - excluding members of the Harmony party who opposed the law - have been placed on Russia's wanted list.