But for several months now, the Russian embassy in Latvia has been left unmanaged. It has become known that a former ambassador to Denmark has been appointed to this post. The same one that recently threatened the country with Russian nuclear missiles. Meanwhile, Russia is reviewing the way it will finance influencers abroad. A new department will be set up to strengthen “soft power” operations in the immediate neighborhood. It will coordinate sports, education, science and culture.
Every year on October 13, the Russian Embassy and its friendly organizations celebrate the very skeptical liberation of Riga from fascists by Latvian historians. Historical evidence shows that in 1944, the Germans had been on the plot for a long time when the Red Army arrived. However, what happened in Russia has its own version.
In October a year ago, the Russian Ambassador to Latvia Yevgeny Lukyanov laid flowers at the monument in Pardaugava. And a high-ranking embassy employee – Russian military attaché Ruslan Usakov.
This year, there were no embassy staff of this level in the flower-laying ceremony. At present, only a few remain in Latvia, who also conditionally “sit on suitcases”. This week, the embassy’s video on the celebrations on October 13 shows 3rd Secretary Dmitry Lovchikov and also Senior Adviser Alexander Sheremets. And a handful of retirees.
In the spring, military attaché Ušakovs was declared an undesirable person in Latvia. The Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs thus expressed solidarity with the Czech government in connection with the illegal activities of Russian intelligence services in that country. But Ambassador Lukyanov was sent to Belarus in the early spring after 4 years of service in Riga. According to the press, his close ties with the security services – Lukyanov, who was the assistant secretary of the Russian Security Council – will help to put Belarus-Russia relations in the right direction for Moscow.
At the end of September, Mikhail Vanins, a new ambassador to Latvia, was elected to the Kremlin. Vanin worked in customs during the Soviet years. At the time of Vladimir Putin’s presidency, Vanin was chairman of Russia’s State Customs Committee. In 2002, Vanins and the then Minister of Finance of the People’s Party, Gundars Bērziņš, signed an agreement between Latvia and Russia on co-operation in the field of customs.
During Putin, Vanin changed his career and became a diplomat. Resides in Slovenia for 5 years. But Vanin makes headlines in the world after serving as ambassador to Denmark for a few years. Following the annexation of Crimea, NATO is stepping up its armed forces in the Baltic States. Denmark sends its troops to Estonia. Copenhagen is also deciding to join the US missile defense system. The Ambassador expresses a direct threat to this.
“I don’t think the Danes fully understand the consequences of joining the US-led missile defense system. If that happens, Danish warships will become targets for Russian nuclear missiles. “
Vanin has also made sharp statements to the Baltics, which together with Poland are creating “hysterical Russophobic noise in Europe”. Little is known about the new ambassador in political circles. One thing is clear: the ambassador will do what the leadership in Russia will force him to do. Freedom of thought is not allowed in such a position.-
Rihards Kols
Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Saeima (NA)
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“As much as it has been said in the public space – a rather odious person, if we look at the statements of his experience of diplomatic activity. But we have never had a diplomat whose past is perhaps so interesting. The question is, of course, what are the political settings, especially if the ambassador is accredited in Latvia. If we look back at the previous ambassador, Lukyanov, who is now in Belarus, I can say here that, at parliamentary level, I have never met Mr Lukyanov as head of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and I think it is natural that quite a large part of the Members of the Latvian parliament have undesirable persons in Russia, it would also be so funny that we meet, talk and cooperate. Consequently, its policy is being implemented at the current level – there is practically no direct, open political dialogue with Russia, yes, there is technical cooperation, which is a day-to-day issue. ”
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Valery Agesin
Member of the parliamentary group for the promotion of co-operation with the Russian Parliament, Member of the Saeima (“Sobeža”)
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“In your opinion, what could be the fact that an ambassador has now been appointed, who in his former country of residence in Denmark has threatened that Russia still has nuclear weapons and can be applied, if anything. There is not enough time and information to judge on this topic. “
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Andis Kudors
Political scientist and author of the blog “Latvian Security”
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“I do not see anything special in Vanin’s performance that would make him fall out of the image of a modern Russian diplomat. Has Foreign Minister Lavrov not cursed with uncensored vocabulary? There has been some rebuke in the UN. It seems in the direction of British diplomats. Its rudeness as such has unfortunately become part of Russian diplomacy, and the word rudeness and diplomacy could not, in principle, be together. But Russia’s performance is. “
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Marcis Balodis
Researcher at the Center for Eastern European Policy Studies
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“If we look at the work so far, I think it would not be surprising that his arrival in Riga, say, would be accompanied by active communication and perhaps even scandalous statements, taking into account what he has said before about the Baltic States and Latvia. It should also be noted that the Russian Foreign Ministry has now announced plans to set up a new department at the beginning of next year to structure and implement so-called humanitarian issues in Russia’s foreign policy. If such an initiative comes from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it will certainly refer to the work of the Ambassador. And so it would not be surprising if the new ambassador was accompanied by activities on humanitarian issues. It is history, education, culture, also sports issues, even issues that are not considered political on a daily basis. ”
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It is planned to create this new department under the auspices of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It will be an umbrella organization and will coordinate Russian influence and soft power operations in the fields of culture, science, art, youth exchange, education and sports. Currently, the areas of responsibility are scattered across different institutions. Therefore, the plan is to merge them in the future. There are also plans to step up student exchange programs, which invite foreign young people to Russian universities.
Marcis Balodis
Researcher at the Center for Eastern European Policy Studies
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“The first function of this department would be to come up with solutions to spread Russia’s soft power. How to make Russia more attractive and what measures to take. And then implement them through embassies. At the moment, there is not very detailed information about what it might look like, but what we see at the moment quite duplicates the activities of the existing institution “Russatrudnechestvo”, which may also indicate that there is a struggle in Russia over the allocation of resources and , which ultimately holds, say, these levers of influence here, especially in working with Russian-speakers living outside Russia. ”
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The creation of the new structure is due to the dissatisfaction of the Kremlin with the money spent on soft power operations so far. There are currently various funds that distribute money. Compatriots’ organizations receive funding in various ways, but the results achieved are few. Therefore, more purposeful and concrete actions against the Baltic States can be expected in the near future.
Andis Kudors
Political scientist and author of the blog “Latvian Security”
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The public diplomacy we have seen, the Ruskij mir Foundation, the Gorchakov Foundation, the Compatriots ‘Rights Protection Fund – they had each taken over a specific area – the Compatriots’ Rights Protection Fund for Legal Affairs, the Gorchakov Foundation – working with opinion leaders and young people. “Ruskij mir” seems to be about Russian culture and language, but often about history, which is a factor of division. “
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Rihards Kols
Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Saeima (NA)
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“And these are very huge concepts, with huge financial and human resources behind them. And they are, as it is now raining, very purposefully implementing the political settings that come from the Kremlin in the form of drops, and I think that Latvia and the Baltic states are one of the focal points of political goals. ”
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The official public procurement system of Russia shows that a procurement announced by the Russian Ministry of Culture is coming to an end these days. Since September 21, an applicant has been sought who would be able to provide the following service for 9.5 million rubles (114,000 euros) – “organization and management of events for veterans, youth patriotic organizations in Estonia and Latvia. Purchasing information is very meager. The competition is not over yet.
