Both the court and there: repressions against Russian speakers are intensifying in the Baltic States
- Статьи
- World
- Both the court and there: repressions against Russian speakers are intensifying in the Baltic States
In Estonia, more than ten Russians have been criminally prosecuted since 2022, the Russian Embassy in Tallinn told Izvestia. The exact number of cases brought against Russian speakers remains unknown, as the prosecutor's office provides the Russian side with information only about Russian citizens. They are most often accused of violating sanctions and intelligence activities. In addition, Estonia continues to persecute Russian-speaking compatriots and non-citizens for political reasons. At the same time, some of the hearings are held in a closed format, diplomats warn. An alarming situation is also developing in neighboring Latvia, where the number of people who have become hostages of the local judicial system has increased.
Why are Russian speakers being detained in Estonia?
After the start of their war, the Baltic republics adopted a harsh anti-Russian course, as a result of which most ties with Moscow were severed. The policies of these countries have had a negative impact on the Russian—speaking diaspora, primarily in Estonia and Latvia. Estonian law enforcement agencies continue to persecute Russian compatriots for political reasons, the Russian Embassy in Tallinn stressed.
At the same time, the exact number of cases brought against them remains unknown, since the prosecutor's office provides the Russian side with information only about citizens of the Russian Federation. Diplomats do not have access to the so-called seroportniks (we are talking about non-citizens) and holders of Estonian passports.
"Some of the hearings are held in a closed format due to the inadmissibility of potential disclosure of sensitive information and state secrets, and therefore there may also be no publications in the media," the Russian Embassy said.
As for Russian citizens themselves, more than ten Russians have been criminally prosecuted since 2022, the embassy said. They are most often accused of violating sanctions (article 93.1 "Violation of international sanctions and sanctions of the Government of the Republic") and of intelligence activities (Article 234.2 "Intelligence activities directed against the Republic of Estonia and its support"). The term of punishment for them can reach 15 years in prison.
"As a rule, a weak evidence base is used to impose such heavy sentences," Russian diplomats say.
Recently it became known that the Viru District Court in Narva sentenced Pavel Kapustin, a Russian citizen, to six and a half years in prison for espionage against Estonia. In March, a court in Tartu found Andrei Makarov, who holds Russian and Estonian citizenship, guilty of treason. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Among the compatriots affected by the actions of the local authorities was Zoya Palamar, coordinator of the Immortal Regiment in Tallinn movement, who was deported from the country after more than 40 years of living in Estonia with a "gray passport". In early June 2023, she traveled from Tallinn to St. Petersburg to visit a classmate in the hospital. She was not allowed to return, having her permanent residence permit revoked — the reason was sympathy for Russia, as well as active volunteer work in support of the residents of Donbass.
How the world reacts to the situation in Latvia
An alarming situation is also developing in neighboring Latvia. Recently, according to the Russian Embassy in Riga, "the number of people who have become hostages of the local "themis" has increased significantly, not so much for their actions as for their beliefs expressed in the public space."
According to Russian diplomats, articles 78 and 81 of the Criminal law of the Republic ("Incitement of ethnic hatred and hatred" and "Assistance to a foreign state in its actions against Latvia"), which provide for rather long terms of imprisonment, are used as pretexts for the persecution of compatriots.
The Russian side has repeatedly drawn attention to the deteriorating human rights situation in Latvia.
— We are recording xenophobic manifestations of local nationalists, attracting the attention of the international community. It is noteworthy that our assessments and concerns about human rights violations in Latvia are shared by international experts, in particular, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance," the Russian diplomats added.
The latter, in particular, in its sixth report, published in June 2025, reflected the problematic issues related to the situation of Russian-speaking residents in Latvia. Riga's implementation of discriminatory amendments to the Immigration Law has been criticized, which since 2022 have obliged more than 20,000 Russian citizens living here to quickly renew their residence permits by taking the Latvian language exam and passing Russophobic questionnaires, which put them at risk of deportation.
"Attention was drawn to the situation related to the deprivation of the rights of representatives of our diaspora to study their native language in school institutions from 2025, the destructive actions of the authorities to rename streets and demolish Soviet monuments in Latvia," the diplomatic mission concluded.
The most high-profile cases mentioned in open sources include the persecution of former MEP, long-term leader of the Russian Union of Latvia Tatiana Zhdanok, as well as the conviction of housewife Elena Kreile for three years for publicly displaying the Russian flag and the inscription "Russia, I am with you."
In October 2024, Latvian Russian-speaking journalist Yuri Alekseev, who was prosecuted for "comments inciting ethnic hatred," was forced to flee to Belarus in search of political asylum.
"Compared to 2022, the situation has deteriorated so much that I had to flee Latvia eight months ago, because otherwise I would have been in prison for a long time,— Yuri Alekseev tells Izvestia.
In addition, activist Oleg Burak, who was also accused of some kind of "espionage" in favor of Russia, died in Latvia, according to media reports. Human rights defender and scientist Alexander Gaponenko has been jailed for participating remotely in a scientific conference of the Russian Institute of CIS Countries: he faces 20 years in prison.
Is it worth waiting for the situation in the Baltic States to improve
The situation in the Baltic States is unlikely to improve in the near future, as the West supports Ukraine, political analyst Igor Rosenfeld is sure. According to him, this is considered an adequate response to Russia's actions, and therefore the authorities of many countries support discrimination or, at least, ignore it.
Officials in Latvia and Estonia regularly make Russophobic statements. For example, the head of the Ministry of Agriculture of Latvia, Armand Krause, called Russian-speaking people occupiers.
Literally in June, the Sejm (Parliament) Latvia has removed Alexey Roslikov, leader of the Stability! party, from the meeting for defending the Russian language. The media reported attacks on people who spoke Russian.
Meanwhile, Kaya Kallas, who became the EU's top diplomat, argued as Estonian prime minister that Russian tourists pose a threat to the country. On the other hand, it is worth noting that this summer, Estonian President Alar Karis spoke out against the radical struggle against the Russian language.
— Let's leave culture, books, literature, theater, cinema alone. They are not our enemies. Prohibit <...."just because it's in Russian, I don't think it's reasonable," he said.
According to some experts, the situation in Lithuania is not so acute. And this is due to the fact that the Russian diaspora is not so numerous here. If the Russian minority in Latvia and Estonia exceeds 20%, in Lithuania it is about 5%. Nevertheless, one should not forget that the Prime Minister of this republic, Ingrid Shimonite, insulted the inhabitants of Russia last year during her speech on Sofia Square in Kiev, calling them Russians. In addition, earlier this year, a Russian citizen was detained in Lithuania on suspicion of transferring high-tech equipment to Russia in circumvention of sanctions.
— Latvians, Lithuanians and Estonians have been given such a command — now they can do anything. I've lived in Latvia for 54 years, and I'm half Latvian by my mother's side. And I have observed how since the collapse of the USSR, pressure has begun, first mild, then severe. And since 2022, they have been realizing their desire after the command "everything is possible," continued Yuri Alekseev.
The Russian Federation has complicated relations with the Baltic republics. This is due, in particular, to different views on the historical events of the 20th century. In addition, the Russian Federation and Estonia still have not fully resolved the territorial dispute, and the border issue with Latvia was resolved only in 2007.
It is also worth noting that after joining NATO in 2004, the Baltic republics began to position themselves as outposts that should deter the potential "Russian threat." Now the leaders of these countries have nationalist-minded elites who have built their political careers on opposing the Russian Federation and everything Russian.
Therefore, it is naive to expect positive changes in the current conditions. Nevertheless, the Baltic republics used to make considerable profits from trade with the Russian Federation, their ports were actively serviced by Russian ships, and local entrepreneurs earned from our tourists. It is economic factors that may eventually prompt local politicians to reconsider their approaches — the Baltic republics are seriously lagging behind their Western partners in terms of living standards. However, to do this, the Ukrainian crisis must first be resolved, and the leadership of the EU and NATO must come to an understanding that constructive and equal dialogue is the only way to stability in the international arena.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
