A statement published by VDD did not name the individual, but it is understood to be former Member of the European parliament Andrejs Mamikins, who was elected to the European Parliament in 2014 for the Harmony (Saskaņa) party, but later switched his allegiance to the Latvian Russian Union.
According to the VDD: "Criminal proceedings against this person were initiated by the State Security Service on September 29, 2023, in accordance with Article 74.1 of the Criminal Law after evaluating the person's statements in the broadcasts of several Russian television channels loyal to the Kremlin, as well as on social networking sites. In the "Evening with Vladimir Solovyov" program of the Russian TV channel "Rossia 1" on September 21 of last year, the person expressed that Russia "does a mighty, holy work in Ukraine."
Mamikins appeared on the notorious show mentioned above.
VDD declared that the suspect was "a wanted person" though he is believed to be resident in Russia, the land of his birth.
Mamikins, who worked as a journalist and television presenter before embarking on a political career, has a long history as a Kremlin cheerleader.
