There are thousands of people like the pro-Kremlin taxi driver Viktors
Incidents caused by apologists for the aggression of the Russian Federation have become a daily occurrence in Latvia, and each new one seems more and more barbaric. Viktors, the taxi driver who dragged a customer out of his car by her hair because she objected to listening to the Russian anthem during the drive, is going to be in a bit of trouble. But it is unlikely to serve as a sufficient deterrent to prevent similar incidents from happening again. There are many such people like Viktors in Latvia, and the war in Ukraine has emboldened them.
In the context of the war, the State Police in Latvia has recorded a number of violations of the law and criminal offences. 30 criminal proceedings, more than 60 administrative offence proceedings and more than 120 departmental inspections have been initiated. These figures are said to be dynamically changing, with some investigations being closed and others being opened. In most cases, they concern the display of pro-Russian war symbols in the environment or hooligan activities disturbing public peace and order. Criminal proceedings have been initiated for offences against Ukrainian citizens, most often for damaging cars or stealing number plates. Another category is criminal proceedings for theft of and damage to the Ukrainian flag.
A large-scale problem
The State Police reassures the public: "When assessing these cases in the overall context of offences, it can be unequivocally stated that the offences detected are not large-scale." But the question here is how and whether the offences of the defenders of Russian aggression are registered at all. Painting a Z on a building or a car can be treated as petty hooliganism and damage to property, or as a hate crime against the Ukrainian and Latvian peoples, for which the punishment would be much more severe. And here the law enforcers have something to think about. Should such offences really be treated like kicking a trash bin? The State Security Service informs Neatkarīgā that it checks thousands of incidents, reports and suspicious comments every day. So similar acts justifying and encouraging Russian aggression have, after all, become large-scale:
"Thousands of comments on the internet related to support for Russia and against Ukraine and its nationals come to the attention of the State Security Service every day. The State Security Service also regularly assesses this type of activity in physical space. Each such case is assessed on an individual basis. In deciding whether criminal proceedings should be initiated against a person in a particular case, the State Security Service takes into account factors such as the context, the situation, the person's intent, motivation, the systematic nature of the activity, the extent and the threat posed."
Against the individual or the nation?
The State Security Service has jurisdiction over and investigates offences that are conceptually broader and directed against the nation as a whole rather than the individual. Since the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces on February 24 this year, the Service has initiated 15 criminal proceedings in connection with acts expressing support for Russian aggression against Ukraine and its people. 12 persons have been classified as suspects and seven persons as persons subject to criminal proceedings. Three suspects have been remanded in custody as a precautionary measure. The criminal proceedings were initiated under the articles of the Criminal Law that prohibit the justification and glorification of war crimes and crimes against peace committed by the Russian armed forces in Ukraine (Article 74.1 of the Criminal Law), as well as actions aimed at inciting national and ethnic hatred or hatred against Ukrainian nationals (Article 78 of the Criminal Law).
From this it can be concluded that the other incidents, reports and comments, for which the State Security Service does not prosecute, theoretically concern individuals and their relations with each other. They are comparable to domestic conflicts. The case of Viktors, a pro-Kremlin taxi driver, is a perfect illustration, as already reported in the publication "Dragged out of the car by her hair; taxi driver's actions shock people."
Viktors and Inese's petty troubles
During the drive, Viktors, the taxi driver, played the anthem of the Russian Federation, but reacted to the client's objections and reminder that there was a war in Ukraine by pulling her out of the car by her hair and pushing her to the ground. The State Police have launched a departmental inquiry on the basis of information circulating on social networks. So the police now need to find out whether the pro-Kremlin taxi driver Viktors acted this way because he hates all Latvians and Ukrainians in the world or just this particular passenger. And it is very likely that the investigation will end with this conclusion - that there was a petty conflict in the taxi "in connection with listening to Russian songs". What consequences now await the pro-Kremlin taxi driver Viktors? At least a minor inconvenience awaits. Interior Minister Marija Golubeva, having read the story, declared:
"This is unacceptable. I very much hope there is a submission to @Valsts_policija. We certainly cannot be tolerant of such behavior!"
This has already happened over the weekend pending an official submission. The pro-Kremlin Viktors has been blocked from accessing the Bolt app by the app's holders. The Directorate of Road Transport is in the process of clarifying with the Riga City Council how to deprive Viktors of his taxi license. They were issued to a Renault Laguna taxi with registration number TQ-7249 and to a company registered in the Augšdaugava region, SIA STAR20. The company is the formal owner of the vehicle in question, but the real beneficiary of the company is not Viktors, but Inese Garšanova. So the petty trouble will mainly concern her. She did not respond to an invitation to explain the situation, and blocked public access to the list of friends on her social profile. Probably her friend or employee, the pro-Kremlin taxi driver Viktors, could also be found there.
The miraculous transformations of Kremlinites
What other incidents of note by the State Police have occurred in the context of Russian aggression in Ukraine? In a statement to the public, the police mention several cases of damage or attempts to damage pro-Ukrainian objects or flags in Kronvalda Park in Riga. In all cases, the persons were identified and fined. For example, two pro-Kremlin activists tried to tear off a string with Ukrainian flags and behaved rudely. Then, on a couple of other occasions, supporters of the Russian Federation knocked over an environmental object with a Russian flag emblazoned with a swastika. This was translated as petty hooliganism, basically equivalent to overturning a rubbish bin. And in one case, criminal proceedings have been initiated because two pro-Kremlin activists wanted to "fix" the same environmental object with red, blue and white spray paint. They managed to do something and have now been prosecuted under Article 185(1) of the Criminal Law for intentional destruction or damage to another's property. But this also means that no fundamental hatred of the Ukrainian and Latvian peoples is discernible in this and other incidents. Moreover, as the police found out, the perpetrators admitted their guilt, were remorseful and apologized.
One can only hope that the pro-Kremlin taxi driver Viktors will undergo a similar miraculous transformation
and that he will never again play the Russian anthem to Latvian women or drag them around by their hair, because the police will carry out appropriate work after a thorough investigation of the incident:
"The State Police is closely monitoring developments in society and is paying close attention to any manifestations of opinions and actions related to aggression against Ukrainian refugees or support for Russia's war in Ukraine in order to prevent possible offences, and also encourages citizens to report perceived offences or threats to public order or suspicious persons by calling 110."
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