Latvia elections: many Russian speakers reject Moscow

Many Russian-speaking residents interviewed in eastern Latvia say they identify with Latvia and do not want Moscow's help as parliamentary elections approach on October 3.

In Rezekne, less than 50 kilometres from the Russian border, residents at a harvest festival said local problems should be solved within Latvia. The Russian-speaking minority has been a focus of tension since Russia launched its war in Ukraine in 2022.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed that the rights of Russian speakers in the Baltic states are being “trampled,” language that has raised fears in the region because of similar rhetoric used about Ukraine's Donbas before Russia's invasion.

In Daugavpils, Latvia's second-biggest city, editor Inna Plavoka said Russia's invasion of Ukraine had changed how some Russian speakers view their identity. She said she now identifies with Latvia and not with Russia.

Affection for Moscow remains among some older Russian speakers. Aleksei Vassiliev, a candidate from the Russian-speaking Harmony party, criticised the status of so-called non-citizens: permanent residents, mostly Russian-speaking, who have not met the full criteria for Latvian nationality and do not hold another citizenship.

These non-citizens make up nearly nine percent of Latvia's population and are not allowed to vote. Campaign debate in the eastern Latgale region has also touched on European aid to Ukraine, local economic hardship and the influence of Russian-language media from Russia and Belarus near the border.