The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia on Tuesday published a list of “most hostile persons” from the Baltic states, which mainly included officials and politicians from the three countries that Russia has banned from entering its territory, TASS reports.
The list, published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, is opened by the prime ministers of Latvia and Estonia, Evika Silina and Kaia Kallas, as well as their heads of foreign affairs. Thus, Kristianis Karins, Gabrielius Landsbergis and Margus Tsakhna were included in the “black list” drawn up by Moscow.
The list also includes the names of Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds, Latvian Interior Minister Rihards Kozlovskis and Lithuanian Army Commander General Valdemaras Rupsis.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation also included in the list the former leaders of the Baltic states: the presidents of Latvia Vaira Vike-Freiberga (1999-2007) and Egils Levits (2019-2023) and the ex-president of Estonia Kersti Kaljulaid (2016-2021).
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Moscow previously announced that it had imposed sanctions against 347 citizens of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, whom it considers “hostile” towards Russia, including ministers, members of the parliaments of the three countries and other public figures.
Sanctioned persons are prohibited from entering Russia.
Russia is concerned that the Baltic countries are demolishing monuments to the Soviet occupiers
In February, Russian police prosecuted Kaya Kallas, the prime minister of Estonia, over her government’s role in the removal of Soviet monuments in the Baltic country.
At the same time, Russia also pursued Estonian State Secretary Taimar Peterkop and Lithuanian Culture Minister Simonas Kairis.
Although the Russian police did not specify in their official statement the reasons why they are being investigated in Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the three are hostile to Russia, are “responsible for decisions that are de facto an insult to history” and “Persons who commit hostile actions against the historical memory of our country”.
Russia considers itself the liberator of the Baltic states and claims that any other view is a falsification of history, which is a crime under Russian law.
Russia’s state-run TASS news agency reported last month, citing an unnamed security source, that officials were accused of “destroying and demeaning some monuments to Soviet soldiers” from World War II.
After the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, several such monuments, inherited from the former Soviet Union, were demolished in the Baltic states – gestures that marked the rejection of the period when Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were under Russian occupation.
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Source: Hot News
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