Dual loyalty of Russian citizens poses a threat to Latvia’s security – authorities
The chairman of the parliamentary commission on national security, Ainars Latkovskis, notes that these are only approximate figures, as Russia and Belarus do not provide information about their citizens in Latvia, and it is unknown how many people who already have a Latvian passport have become citizens of both states, as Russia allows dual citizenship.
“Russian citizens, upon obtaining citizenship and taking an oath, are obliged to be loyal to their state and support it. In this aggressor state, a number of amendments to the laws were adopted in 2023 and 2024, which provide for severe penalties if its citizens do not fulfill their duties, for example, avoiding conscription to the army to avoid going to war. This means that even those Russian citizens who live and work in Latvia must fulfill the oath they took upon obtaining citizenship and the laws of Russia and fight against us in the event of an armed conflict. This threatens the security of Latvia,” said Latkovskis, commenting on the changes to the national security law adopted last year, which prohibit citizens of Russia and Belarus from working at Latvian critical infrastructure facilities.
In developing the amendments to the law, the experience of Ukraine was taken into account, where in the occupied territories some officials and ordinary citizens began to cooperate with the occupying authority and showed loyalty to Russia rather than to the state in which they live.
> “Given Russia’s intentions and statements regarding us, threats to invade the Baltic states, destroy us, and send missiles here, it is an adequate action to adopt the relevant law so that there are no people in Latvia who are ready to cooperate or pass information to the enemy. All people have the opportunity to naturalize, become citizens of Latvia, and renounce their citizenship of Russia and Belarus,” said Latkovskis.
Daugavpils Regional Hospital is among the facilities that are vital for the functioning of the state and society. The hospital announced the termination of employment with 49 employees – citizens of Russia and Belarus, of which 29 were middle and junior medical staff, including 14 people of retirement age, and 20 were support staff. The hospital management also sent a request to the security authorities for a reassessment of seven employees – three doctors and four nurses, as, according to the chairwoman of the hospital’s board, Inta Vaivode, the hospital cannot do without them and there is no one to replace them.