On May 13 this year, the VDD detained two persons on suspicion of collecting restricted information with the intention of passing it on to Russian special services.
Criminal proceedings were initiated against the persons on May 2 this year under Article 85(1) of the Criminal Law, i.e. for collecting undisclosed information with the intention of passing it on to a foreign country or a foreign organization directly or through another person. As part of the criminal proceedings, the VDD has carried out criminal procedural actions at several sites in and around Riga.
One of the detained persons is Sergejs Sidorovs, a taxi driver who has already been tried for spying for Russia. Sidorov is accused of passing messages to so-called "Baltic anti-fascists". Sidorov had earlier partially admitted his guilt in court. He stated that he had indeed communicated with a representative of this organization on Telegram, but that his intention was not to target the Latvian state.
On May 15 this year, both suspects were remanded in custody as a precautionary measure. The VDD is currently continuing its investigation and will provide further information as the criminal proceedings progress.
The VDD repeats that all are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
