As previously reported, it is alleged that Russian citizen Anatoly Blinov, arrested in Poland on suspicion of organizing an attack on Leonid Volkov, an associate of the deceased Kremlin opponent Alexei Navalny, moved around Europe using a forged Latvian 'non-citizen' passport.
'Non-citizen' passports can be held by people who enjoy the diplomatic protection of Latvia but who are not themselves Latvian citizens. Typically such passports are held by Soviet-era arrivals into Latvia, and sometimes by their descendants, who have chosen not to pursue the path to becoming naturalized Latvian citizens. A similar status also exists in Estonia. Such passports can be used to move freely around the European Union.
It is believed the passport in question contains the details of one Sergejs Šturba, from Liepāja, but with a photo of Blinov. As a result police are investigating possible forgery and use of forged documents, reported De Facto.
Representatives of the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), founded by Navalny, claim that a hammer attack on Volkov in Vilnius in March this year was organized by Blinov and Leonid Nevzlin, a billionaire living in Israel, amid apparent rivalry between Russian opposition factions. Nevzlin denies the allegation.
De Facto also plunged into the various rumors and theories about how such a fake passport might have been obtained via several shady middlemen, though nothing definitive has yet been proven.
A week ago, De Facto did manage to track down the real Sergejs Šturba in Liepāja. He has been convicted several times for theft and recently was released from prison. He said his passport had been stolen and denies that he sold the passport to anyone for profit.
