Russian propaganda currently paying less attention to Latvia but situation can change - Sarts

  • 2022-08-03
  • LETA/TBT Staff

RIGA - Russian propaganda is currently paying less attention to Latvia and its attacks are less frequent, but the situation can change as the removal of monuments dedicated to the Soviet regime begins, Janis Sarts, director of NATO's Riga-based Strategic Communication Center of Excellence (StratCom CoE), said in an interview to Latvian Radio on Wednesday. 

Sarts has noticed that Russian propaganda is currently paying less attention to Latvia than at the beginning of the war in Ukraine, but the chief of StratCom CoE warns that the situation can change. So far, Russia's activities against Latvia have not been effective and in most cases have involved cyberattacks. 

Sarts admitted that Russia has a certain potential for targeting Latvia with rather painful measures although there is no certainty about Russia's actual ability to carry out such plans. 

Commenting on some Russian politicians' remarks about the wish to restore the Soviet Union, Sarts said that such remarks are an indication that a part of Russia's elite are living in a "parallel reality". The expert indicated that the war Russia has started in Ukraine "destroys the myth of Russia's might on a daily basis", so Russia's ability to carry through with such plans is low. 

Sarts also projects that Russia will be waiting for the winter and an energy crisis in Europe to use it in its propaganda.