Member of Saeima Juris Jurašs has gone to Ukraine, that is a fact, and is being praised for his courage near and far. However, it is not clear what exactly he intends to do there, since he has not applied to the National Armed Forces Mobilization Office in accordance with the law, has not been authorized to represent the Republic of Latvia as a Member of the Saeima, and has just announced that he has resigned from his seat. And in the pictures circulated by the party, he is standing empty-handed among Ukrainian soldiers - without a weapon.
In the public sphere, Jurašs' actions have been widely reported in both domestic and foreign media. Also in Ukrainian publications. In a situation where the war in Ukraine is taking place simultaneously on two fronts - in the field and in the information space - every sign of support from the international community is important for Ukrainians. Thus, the news that a Member of Parliament from a Member State of European Union and NATO is going to war against the aggressor Russia quickly spread across the front pages of news portals. However, the status of Jurašs in Ukraine is unclear. If Jurašs had really committed himself to fighting in the war, then as a Latvian citizen it would have been compulsory for him to register with the National Armed Forces Mobilization Office. This has not happened so far. His presence in the military zone was not coordinated with the Ministry of Defense. The Ministry learned of this from the media: "According to the latest publicly available information, Mr Jurašs has joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Information on whether an application has been received by the NAF Mobilization Office is being clarified."
On March 13, the MP announced to the public, through the national news agency LETA and the Minister of Justice, party member Jānis Bordāns, that he was resigning. Apparently because after a week in Ukraine, the question of his status became an issue there as well. After all, there are no special guards for ordinary mortals who go to help fight. In contrast, national officials and diplomats must be protected. According to unofficial information, Jurašs was assigned a two-man security detail upon his arrival in Ukraine. Because he was and still is a Latvian parliamentarian. According to the Rules of Procedure of the Saeima, the announcement of the resignation does not automatically terminate the mandate of a Member of Saeima. A Member's mandate ends when another Member is confirmed in his or her place. So, at least until the next sitting of the Saeima, Juris Jurašs is still formally a Member of the Saeima. This is not the first time that he has been one only formally. In 2019, as a result of criminal prosecution against Jurašs, a picture of Jurašs printed on cardboard was placed in his seat in the Chamber of the Parliament.
If Jurašs had gone to the aid of the Ukrainians, telling them that he represented the Republic of Latvia on a political and diplomatic level, he would have needed a mandate from the Saeima to go on an official business trip. Then he could use his diplomatic passport and enjoy the international security guarantees of a diplomat. However, Jurašs has not been sent on a military mission, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explains to Neatkarīgā:
"When going to Ukraine, Jurašs does not represent the Parliament. It is his personal initiative, which does not violate Latvian law. Diplomatic passports are to be used only for official business. Consular assistance is provided to all Latvian nationals if necessary."
Along these lines, arises the question - what will Juris Jurašs do in Ukraine? His party's public statement does not make it clear: "MP Juris Jurašs has joined the Ukrainian forces to fight against the Russian occupiers." And a lot of praise. However, one Ukrainian publication - the Lviv news portal - says that Jurašs will work for the territorial defense of Kyiv as a security consultant. Neatkarīgā has already reported that "Ukrainian media tell tall tales about who Juris Jurašs is."
This consultant position is a most interesting fact because, according to the Ministry of Defense, it has no information that Mr Jurašs has undergone military training or has any military experience. So the question is what better advice can he give there than the Ministry of Defense and the specialists of the National Armed Forces already do. Perhaps more answers about the purpose of the visit and the activities in Ukraine will be given to the admirers of MP Jurašs and the rest of the public after his return to Latvia. But it is unlikely that he will return to the Saeima. But for the time being, we have to make do with the explanation provided by the Ministry of Defense:
Does MP Jurašs have this kind of experience, for example, advising the Latvian National Armed Forces?
There has been no such cooperation with the NAF.
What kind of tasks do security consultants perform?
Within the framework of its competence, the NAF has provided support to the Ukrainian Armed Forces by providing NAF officers and instructors in the training of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. In turn, the Ministry of Defense civilian advisors provide advice to Ukrainian governmental authorities and services in the form of cooperation between NATO institutions.
Has the Ukrainian army requested security advisers from Latvia so far?
So far, the Latvian Ministry of Defense has not received any such requests from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense or the Armed Forces.