Latvia obliged citizens of Russia, who no longer have a residence permit, to leave the territory of this country. This is the first time that the authorities of Riga have adopted such a measure, reports the German agency DPA, taken over by Agerpres.

According to the Latvian Migration Service, six Russian citizens were recently notified of their departure from Latvia. Two of them have already left Latvia, and the other four have 30 days to do the same, said Maira Rose, head of the Migration Board.

These measures are the result of changes to Latvia’s immigration law, which were passed in the fall of 2022 in response to Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Any citizen of Russia who wishes to continue to live legally in Latvia must now apply for permanent residence status and, on the basis of a test, prove knowledge of the Latvian language for everyday use. Persons who cannot provide this proof in time and do not meet the legal conditions for obtaining a residence permit must leave Latvia.

Latvian authorities say that the new measures affect almost 1,000 people. Rose said that more than a fifth of them have already left Latvia through another country of the European Union.

About 20 of those targeted remained in Latvia for verifiable family reasons. For Russian citizens staying in the Baltic country, the border police will go to the last listed place of residence and check whether the person is there or not.

Latvia, which shares a border with Russia, is a member of NATO and has a population of approximately 1.9 million. A quarter of them are of Russian origin, most of the immigrants came during the Soviet era. A significant part of them, especially elderly people, do not have Latvian citizenship.

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