Skip to content

Latvia

April 29th - May 5th, 2024 | Week 35 | Month 9

Latvia Weekly: Concerns over EU and RailBaltic

During the examined week the common narratives concerned policies in relation to Russian citizens residing in Latvia and the European Union.

by Otto Tabuns

Main narratives:

  • Claims that non-Latvian speaking residents do not pose a national security threat, amid harsh deportation policies.
  • Comparisons of EU governance to the USSR, casting doubt on Latvia’s autonomy and freedom.
  • Concerns over EU-driven pension reforms affecting Latvian citizens’ retirement plans.
  • Criticism of the RailBaltic project as indicative of government mismanagement and budgetary inefficiency.
  • Controversy surrounding Latvia’s funding of UNRWA, with allegations of indirectly supporting Hamas.

Overview:


During the examined week the common narratives concerned policies in relation to Russian citizens residing in Latvia and the European Union. Similar to prior weeks there is a disinformation narrative that aims to portray the mistreatment of the Russian population in Latvia- during this week the claim was that the current language policies are equivalent to deportation.  The narrative also common in prior weeks is the creation of a negative view of the European Union which has been compared to the USSR making claims that Latvia has never been a free country. In addition, disinformation actors who themselves are candidates for the European Parliament elections are spreading disinformation regarding policies implemented by the EU- for example, increasing of the pension age which in fact is not a competency of the EU. In terms of content, TikTok remains the platform that can garner the most significant engagement, similarly in prior weeks the engagement remains considerably low on Facebook and very low on Twitter. 

Weekly Reports
Saeimas

Latvia Weekly: How Outrage Is Fueling a Populist Surge

April 14th - April 20th, 2025

Estonia Weekly: Concerns Over Russian Propaganda and Youth Indoctrination

April 14th - April 20th, 2025

Military

Lithuania Weekly: Silence After Tragedy Fuels New Conspiracy Theories

April 7th - April 13th, 2025

Market

Latvia Weekly: Russophobia, Decline, and Delusion - Narratives Fuel Division

April 7th - April 13th, 2025

Ship

Estonia Weekly: Seizure of Sanctioned Tanker Sparks Kremlin Backlash

April 7th - April 13th, 2025

Pabradė

Lithuania Weekly: Conspiracies After Successful Pabradė Operation

March 31st - April 6th, 2025

Army

Latvia Weekly: Propaganda Paints Latvia as Aggressor

March 31st - April 6th, 2025

Tallinn

Estonia Weekly: Propaganda Targets Censorship and Spending

March 31st - April 6th, 2025

Pabradė

Lithuania Weekly: Pabradė Tragedy Sparks Anti-NATO Narratives

March 24th - March 30th, 2025

Riga

Latvia Weekly: How Kremlin Channels Paint Latvia as Collapsing

March 24th - March 30th, 2025

Don't miss a story.

We publish stories that change laws, lives, minds and the world. Subscribe to our newsletter to get our investigations delivered to your inbox.