After Russia invaded Ukraine last year, a Telegram channel Baltic Antifascists was created in Latvia. Five people behind the disinformation network are now being tried in the Baltic country.
This article, originally published by Latvia's public broadcaster LSM, is being shared by LRT English with minor edits.
The channel regularly supports Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine and calls on its followers to gather information about Latvian state officials. In November last year, an investigation against the Baltic antifascists was launched by the State Security Service, Latvia's intelligence agency.
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Tatjana Andrijeca, a member of the Latvian Russian Union (LKS), who gained some notability last year in protest against the demolition of Soviet monuments, has been in custody for five months.
Last year, the woman was fired from her job at Riga City Council, and she left to continue her studies in St Petersburg. Andrijeca was arrested in February when she briefly returned to Latvia.
One of the leaders of the LKS, Riga City Council deputy Miroslavs Mitrofanovs, said Andrijeca stopped activities in the party. He had spoken to Andrijeca several times, and she had denied the connection with the Telegram channel.
“She swore she wasn't connected to any business relationship. Another question, of course, over there [in Russia] was the kind of small “party” from Latvian emigrants who came from Riga, from Daugavpils. And they stewed there in their own juices,” says Mitrofanovs.
Initially, the State Security Service initiated criminal proceedings on aid to a foreign state. However, in early June, the intelligence service applied to Andrijeca and others a much more serious article – being part of a criminal organisation and participation in its crimes.
“I don't know what the story is now. I would like to see what this accusation is based on, because it is too serious,” says Mitrofanovs.
The head of the State Security Service Normunds Mežviets said that the aim of the Telegram groups set up by the Baltic Antifascist channel is to create interethnic tension in Latvia by distributing various pro-Kremlin messages, by turning people against the Latvian state and by questioning the crimes Russia has committed against Ukraine.
Mežviets confirms that several persons involved in the group's operations have been arrested.
In addition to Andrijeca, two known activists from various organisations – Aleksandrs Žguns and Staņislavs Bukains – are also in custody.
Meanwhile, the Baltic Antifascists channel continues to publish Kremlin's propaganda messages from the other side of the border in Russi. One of the activists, Viktorija Matule, said in a video that the real administrators of the Baltic Antifascists account were located “outside the occupied territories of NATO” and that they would return “only in a tank”.
Activists Sergejs Vasiļjevs and Vadims Avva have said in a video addressed to the Latvian security service that the detainees in Latvia had nothing to do with the Telegram channel.
Avva and Vasiļjevs appear occasionally on Kremlin television broadcasts, spreading lies about Latvian politics. “In general, the meaning of Latvia's existence – like all the Baltics – is to cause maximum damage to Russia and every Russian,” Vasiļjevs said during one of the Russian shows.
Several years ago, Avva and the then Saeima deputy, Aldis Gobzems, launched the Awakening 3.0 project, which supposedly aimed to foster a discussion between Latvians and Russians. The Gobzems and Avva project was more of a dialogue between them and didn't go on for too long.
In the Latvian Russian Union, Avva was previously seen as a friend, now as an enemy, as he repeatedly called on the party to self-destruct. “After he left, I haven't spoken to him, and I'm pretty disgusted to talk about this man now,” said Mitrofanovs.
Last week, the Latvian parliament's Internal Security Sub-Committee heard the annual report of the State Security Service. In a closed session, MPs were also informed of the Baltic Antifasct investigation.
The head of the sub-committee, Edvīns Šnore, said he would like the security service to focus more actively not only on openly pro-Kremlin agents, but on Russian "influence agents" who seek to covertly shape public opinion.
Representatives of the service have confirmed that they are targeting Russian agents not only in the country's Russian environment, but also in Latvian, said Šnore.
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