Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, increased attention has been paid to the upcoming May 9. The spotlight is on the activities of the Latvian Russian Union, including the organization of the “night guard” at the Victory Park around the monument. Members of this party on social networks have been accentuating and promoting a 2013 claim of a party member than an attempt to move the monument would be equivalent to starting a war.
Māris Kučinskis, head of the Saeima National Security Commission, said that "if anyone thinks that the authorities are not responding to such blatantly hostile records, then they are mistaken". In his opinion, the activists of the Russian Union of Latvia have expressed themselves sufficiently to have reasonable grounds for deciding on the elimination of the party.
The State Security Service (VDD) issued a warning to the party three weeks ago.
“The State Security Service, while assessing developments in the information room within the scope of its competence, has repeatedly identified the non-compliance of the activities of the political party Latvian Russian Union and its representatives with democratic values and the interests of Latvian national security. In the service's assessment, the party's activities are aimed at justifying violations of foreign policy and international law by Russia, as well as the dissemination of propaganda messages,” said the VDD.
The warning issued by the National Security Service has caused the Latvian Russian Union to react, said its co-leader, Miroslavs Mitrofanovs.
He said: “We decided not only to acknowledge but also to meet the minimum that this service and the country are expecting from us. Have warned their party members to refrain from speaking, distributing or publishing news that reflects Russia's view of this aggressive war, and to avoid publishing news from unsafe sources at all.”
