Contents tagged with Latvia

  • Latvia records Russian military aircraft off the country's coast

    On Saturday, NATO fighter jets patrolling the skies over the Baltic Sea escorted a Russian IL-20 military aircraft flying near the borders of Latvia, the National Armed Forces of Latvia reported on Twitter.

    "On September 17th, NATO patrol fighter jets were scrambled to intercept an Il-20 belonging to the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation over the Baltic Sea near the borders of Latvia," the statement says.

    Since the start of the conflict in Ukraine and the deterioration of relations …

  • Latvia to halt activities of public organizations that pose a threat to the country

    The Saeima of the Republic of Latvia supported the amendments to the law on associations, according to which, law enforcement agencies have the right to halt the activities of public organizations that pose a threat to security or order in the country, Delfi.lv reported. It is expected that the activities of public organizations that pose a threat to the country could be halted for up to two months according to the prosecutor’s decision.

    On the basis of the conclusions of the State Security …

  • Latvia recovers €50 million that was withdrawn from Ukraine by former high-ranking officials

    Latvia has recovered €50 million that once belonged to former officials from Ukraine who were arrested for money laundering. This was reported by Latvian LSM portal.

    In Autumn 2014, the General Prosecutor of Ukraine, Vitaly Yarema, announced that $49.3 million from the former First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine, Serhiy Arbuzov, was arrested in Latvian banks. A total of $32 million and 72 million Swiss francs from the former People’s Deputy of Ukraine, Yury Ivanyushchenko, was also arrested in …

  • Latvia says it is ready to repel Russian 'little green men'

    The Latvian Army's Special Forces will increase threefold over the next few years against the backdrop of a Russian threat, as stated by Commander Juris Ušackis.

    According to him, soldiers are now training to conduct operations which “were never performed before” and that is why “creativity and thinking out of the box” are required from them, DELFI reported.

    “We have analyzed the experiences of special operations by the Special Forces of other countries. We are ready to repel little green men. …

  • Multinational NATO battalion to arrive in Latvia early next year

    A multinational NATO battalion led by Canada will arrive in Latvia in spring 2017. The Ambassador of the Republic of Latvia to Canada, Kārlis Eihenbaums, stated on September 6 that the Northern Alliance soldiers will arrive in the Baltic State as soon as the snow melts. The diplomats from other NATO countries also signaled their readiness to deploy forces to deter Russia’s possible offensive operations in the Baltic, Leta wrote.

    According to Eihenbaums, all members from the NATO contingent in …

  • Latvian National Armed Forces spotted Russian submarines, warships and aircraft near its borders

    The representatives of the Latvian National Armed Forces reported that warships and submarines belonging to the Russian Navy were again spotted in the exclusive economic zone of Latvia. On the 3rd of September, Russian Kilo-class and Finik-class submarines were spotted at 10 nautical miles from the border of Latvia’s territorial waters. A Russian Kashtan-class SS-750 warship was also spotted at 20 nautical miles from the border of Latvia’s territorial waters.Russian Tu-134 aircraft and two Su-27 …

  • Latvian Foreign Minister: Debate about lifting sanctions on Russia was premature

    It’s too early to discuss abolishing the EU sanctions against Russia, said the head of the Latvian Foreign Ministry, Edgars Rinkēvičs, during an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Bratislava, as reported by the press service of the Foreign Ministry of Latvia.

    Rinkēvičs stressed that it was premature to talk about lifting sanctions against Russia and it is necessary to continue efforts to achieve full implementation of the Minsk agreements. In addition, the Latvian minister expressed …

  • Estonia and Latvia to demand compensation from Russia for Soviet occupation

    Estonia and Latvia will demand indemnification from the Soviet occupation from Russia. Postimees reported that this was announced during a round table meeting with the participation of Estonian and Latvian experts who are dedicated to the issue of damages caused by the occupation by the Soviet Union, and consequently the legal successor, which is Russia.

    According to the Minister of Justice of Estonia, Urmas Reinsalu, because the state is now independent, they should also assume responsibility …

  • Latvia receives air defense radar systems from the US

    Two more Sentinel mobile tactical air defense radars were delivered to Latvia, according to the Ministry of Defense of the Republic. These are able to detect low-flying targets including helicopters, missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles.

    According to BaltNews, the first radar was delivered to Latvia in June. The total cost of the project is about $22.7 million that includes four Sentinel radars, HMMWV vehicles and trailers, as well as operator and maintenance training.

    Sentinel radars are …

  • Latvia detects three Russian military ships near its borders

    Three Russia ships were detected near Latvian territorial borders, as stated by the Latvian Armed Forces on Twitter.

    “On August 6, three Russian ships, Boikiy Steregushchy-class corvette, Admiral Essen frigate of Admiral Grigorovich-class and Dimitrovrgrad tarantul class corvette, were detected in the Latvian exclusive economic zone about 9 nautical miles from the Latvian border," reads the statement of the Latvian Armed Forces. 

    Relations between Moscow and the West have deteriorated …