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Latvia Weekly: Local Actors Amplify Stories of Oppression and Resistance

Local populist or Kremlin-aligned political actors painted a picture themselves as persecuted victims of an oppressive establishment while positioning their controversial stances as vindicated common sense. This narrative delegitimizes the state and portrays their radical populism as righteous resistance against systemic persecution.

Weekly Reports

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Aleksejs Roslikovs
November 10th – November 16th, 2025 by Martinš Hiršs

Latvia Weekly: Local Actors Amplify Stories of Oppression and Resistance

Local populist or Kremlin-aligned political actors painted a picture themselves as persecuted victims of an oppressive establishment while positioning their controversial stances as vindicated common sense. This narrative delegitimizes the state and portrays their radical populism as righteous resistance against systemic persecution.

Read more
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Limp Bizkit
November 10th – November 16th, 2025 by Dmitri Teperik and Artur Aukon

Estonia Weekly: Limp Bizkit Concert Cancellation Sparks Nationwide Debate

Pro-Kremlin online voices commented on the wave of school-related bomb threats and extended their criticism to the heated debate over the cancellation of a Limp Bizkit concert due to the band’s pro-Putin sympathies.

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Gabrielius Landsbergis
November 3rd – November 9th, 2025 by Urtė Andriukaitytė

Lithuania Weekly: Disinformation Targets Landsbergis and Exploits Belarus Balloon Incidents

Pro-Kremlin media mocked Gabrielius Landsbergis over his recent human rights award and framed him as a danger to Lithuania’s interests. Parallel narratives dramatized the Belarusian balloon incidents, claiming the government manufactured hysteria to justify restrictive policies. These coordinated themes seek to portray Lithuania as insecure, manipulated, and poorly governed.

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Roslikovs
November 3rd – November 9th, 2025 by Martinš Hiršs

Latvia Weekly: Opposition Leaders Portray Themselves as Victims of Systemic Bias

Two Latvian opposition politicians have constructed narratives of systematic persecution, with Rosļikovs framing his prosecution for pro-Russian activities as evidence of disproportionate punishment for defending minority rights, while Ainars Šlesers alleges state-funded media bias that promotes government-aligned causes while suppressing dissent. Both narratives challenge the legitimacy of Latvia’s institutions by portraying courts and public media as politicized tools of the ruling coalition rather than neutral arbiters, using claims of selective justice to position themselves as martyrs and mobilize support among audiences suspicious of institutional fairness.

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November 3rd – November 9th, 2025 by Dmitri Teperik and Artur Aukon

Estonia Weekly: Arrest of Oleg Besedin Sparks Kremlin-Aligned Narratives

The arrest of Oleg Besedin sparked a wave of pro-Kremlin commentary portraying him as a victim of anti-Russian persecution, while simultaneously fueling political infighting in Tallinn over past city contracts linked to his media companies.

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Inga Ruginienė
October 27th – November 2nd, 2025 by admin

Lithuania Weekly: Kremlin Media Exploit Belarus Tensions

This week, pro-Kremlin outlets in Lithuania focused their coverage on debates surrounding Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė and the country’s fraught relations with Belarus, alleging the government manipulates public messaging and stirs tensions for political gain. Concurrently, the narrative around low-flying balloon incidents was leveraged to question Lithuania’s crisis readiness, while commentator efforts to normalise rapprochement with Belarus surfaced in social-media circles – signalling persistent attempts to sway public perception and undermine Lithuania’s strategic alignment.

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Riga pride
October 27th – November 2nd, 2025 by Martinš Hiršs

Latvia Weekly: Disinformation Peaks as Saeima Votes to Withdraw from the Istanbul Convention

Following the Parliamentary vote for Latvia to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention, opposition politicians launched disinformation campaigns falsely claiming the anti-violence treaty would permit men in women’s restrooms and attacking supporters as foreign agents. These narratives deliberately distorted the Convention’s actual purpose of protecting women from violence, replacing substantive debate with inflammatory rhetoric about gender identity and national betrayal.

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Ukraine
October 27th – November 2nd, 2025 by Dmitri Teperik and Artur Aukon

Estonia Weekly: Government Initiative to Ease War Anxiety Sparks Kremlin Mockery

In late October 2025, Estonia hired a journalist to address public war anxiety, sparking criticism over blurred media-state lines and mockery from pro-Kremlin voices. Simultaneously, reports of discrimination against Russian-speaking students reignited debates over language policies and societal tensions online.

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October 20th – October 26th, 2025 by Urtė Andriukaitytė

Lithuania Weekly: Defence Minister’s Resignation and Ukrainian Flag Debate

This week, Kremlin-aligned media in Lithuania concentrated on the resignation of Defence Minister Dovilė Šakalienė, using it to fuel disinformation and conspiracy narratives about corruption and political intrigue within the government. At the same time, pro-Kremlin outlets revived stories about the Ukrainian flag in the Seimas, presenting opposition to it as a growing grassroots movement and seeking to undermine public support for Lithuania’s pro-Ukraine stance.

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