At the same time as the flow of refugees from Ukraine, another flow has increased - Russian Federation nationals are arriving in Latvia in large numbers, and their reasons are diverse. Some are indeed fleeing Putin's regime, where critics of the war are severely punished. Others miss lobsters, microchips and other goodies of pre-war life. Others want to get in so that Latvia could become Russia.
Not everyone who now claims to be a fierce critic of the Kremlin regime was so before coming to Latvia. The dividing line is February 24, 25, 26. If a person has not made his position clear, has not condemned the war, he will not get a Latvian visa. The services will reject him. However, it is not only Russian citizens who are currently arriving in Latvia who need a permit to enter the Republic of Latvia, but also those who already have temporary residence permits or whose spouses are Latvian citizens. While the borders are open, control of these Russian nationals is difficult. The State Security Service is in charge of that.
Since the start of the war, around 200 humanitarian visas have been issued to Russian and Belarusian citizens - intellectuals, scientists, journalists - people facing persecution in Russia. However, not everyone who applies as being persecuted by the Kremlin is granted a Latvian visa. If a person has become an opponent of Putin just because he misses shrimps, he will not get a visa. Unless he is married to a Latvian citizen. For those Russian nationals who come to Latvia with their spouses, Latvian citizens, around 300 visas have been issued since the beginning of the war. Of course, the motivations of these people are also worth studying - what they were doing in Russia and what they want to do in Latvia. Love would be one thing. Getting away from economic sanctions - quite another.
There are many more citizens of the Russian Federation and Belarus who do not need a visa at all because they own property in Latvia. For years, Latvia operated a temporary residence permit trade program, which allowed Russian nationals to stay in the EU for long periods in exchange for purchasing real estate in Latvia, making deposits in Latvian banks or buying up Latvian companies.
Purchasing property was the simplest method - a rural property worth 50,000 lats was enough to obtain a TRP. The sale of "golden visas" has now been suspended, but those who have been issued them are still entitled to stay in Latvia. The Saeima has included a provision in the amendments to the Immigration Law that allows for the cancellation of a TRP if the foreigner has publicly praised, denied or justified genocide, crimes against humanity, crimes against peace, war crimes, provided any kind of support to persons or states that undermine or threaten the territorial integrity and independence of democratic states. The problem is that it is difficult to control the arrival and stay of these persons in the territory of Latvia. According to the data of the Office for Citizenship and Migration Affairs, as of April 5, 50,154 Russian citizens had valid residence permits. "When interpreting the data, it should be borne in mind that a valid document does not mean that the person is physically present in Latvia. It should also be taken into account that these documents are issued for different periods, which means that most of them were issued in previous years. Separate data by month are not available." So the trend of how the flow of Russian citizens has been affected by the war is unknown.
The fact that Russian nationals are coming to Latvia in greater numbers is indirectly confirmed by observations in the property rental market. Tenants are being evicted from the apartments of "golden visa" owners and the owners are arriving to live there themselves. The number of cars with Russian plates on the streets of Riga has also increased. This is, of course, a subjective indicator, but the trend is obvious. Previously, these apartments and houses were bought only as a way to place money. Russian citizens kept or rented out property in Riga or Jūrmala, and went to live on the golden coast of France or some other fine places. Now they find it safer to come to Latvia. Whether that is safe for Latvia is another question. The State Security Service informs that since February 24, nine Russian and six Belarusian citizens whose activities are linked to a threat to Latvia's national security have been added to the Latvian blacklist. They have been refused entry to Latvia. The information at the disposal of the Service indicates that these persons may be involved in the acquisition of intelligence information or in the provision of support for the achievement of Russian foreign policy interests. The foreign nationals include persons who, despite the crimes committed by the Russian armed forces in Ukraine, express support for the Kremlin. The State Security Service confirms that it is currently paying special attention to Russian and Belarusian nationals who have previously been granted a visa or residence permit in Latvia and is continuing to assess the potential risks of dozens more Russian and Belarusian nationals in its sights. The full explanation provided by the State Security Service can be found HERE.
Another risk worth mentioning is one that has so far received little public discussion. It will be opened up by the future Civil Union Law. It should be recalled that it is initiated by the Ministry of Justice and drafted in response to the demand of the LGBT community to allow same-sex marriage, which is prohibited by the Constitution. The institution of civil unions will allow the registration of partnerships without the need for a formal marriage, and will effectively legalize same-sex marriages under this name. At the same time, in the context of the war, it will enable Russian and Belarusian citizens to conclude civil union contracts with Latvian nationals and thus obtain a legal basis for entering Latvian territory. A marriage of convenience requires witnesses and various obligations, but here a contract stamped by a notary will suffice. Thus, the institution of civil unions could pose a similar risk to Latvia's national security as the suspended "golden visa" program.
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