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Text: The heart is flying
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introduction
In 1995, hundreds of thousands of other ethnic groups who emigrated to Latvia after 1940 did not expect that they would lose their citizenship overnight and become legal "outsiders".
Among them, the most susceptible to discrimination is the ethnic Russians, because Latin America and Russia are on the same page. Today, discriminatory policies have not abated in the slightest, but have intensified as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine intensifies.
So much so that Putin couldn't help but "scold" and lamented that the Russians were treated like animals.
(Putin)
1. The emperor was angry that he was a Russian, and the discrimination of the country was too much
If you ask which sea is the least salinity? Answer: Baltic Sea.
Among the countries that surround it, there are three small countries with small populations that have jumped very high in Russia-related affairs in recent years, and they have another feature in common - they were part of the Soviet Union. Latvia is one of them, and it is also the one with the most tense relations with Russia.
In December 2023, Putin unceremoniously criticized the country by name, accusing it of discriminating against ethnic Russians living in the country.
"Pig" is the word used by the strongman in his speech to describe the position of ethnic Russians in the hearts of the Latvian government and the persecution they have suffered in terms of policy.
It is not for nothing that he, as the president of a country, dares to say this, in fact, the problem that Putin is talking about has existed in Latvia for almost 30 years.
(Map)
It was 1995, and a decree stipulated that only people who were citizens of Latvia before 1940 and their descendants were citizens. As a result, more than 700,000 people became "non-citizens" at once.
If you want to obtain the nationality of the country, it is not without channels, but the requirements are very demanding: there are regulations on language and length of residence, and there is also a so-called "priority right".
In this way, even if you can meet all the conditions for naturalization application, you can jump in line at any time with the reason that "others can give priority".
In 1989, before the collapse of the Soviet Union, ethnic Russians accounted for 34% of Latvia's total population with 906,000 people, a proportion that is difficult to describe as a "minority". In some cities, such as Riga, even the Lata have been surpassed.
Due to the large number of Russians themselves, and the fact that Russian was the official language of communication before the dissolution, ethnic Russians do not need to learn Latvian, and most of them cannot pass the language barrier for naturalization. Therefore, ethnic Russians are the highest proportion of non-citizens.
(Latvia)
Many of them have been living here for many years, and their lives and careers are rooted here, and it is difficult for them to return to their homeland. All of a sudden, the news related to the test was expensive in Luoyang, and the people in the relevant government departments made a lot of money by selling gossip.
By 1998, the population of ethnic Russians in Latin America was 822,500. Even without taking into account the new population, nearly 100,000 people have chosen to leave under the pressure of social discrimination and nationality policies.
In addition to erecting barriers to nationality, Latvia has also made efforts to restore the official status of the Lavia language. Since then, it is not only the people of the ethnic group who have to use the language of instruction, but also other ethnic groups who have to teach in the language after secondary school.
These measures are extremely targeted, and at the same time, Latvia is jumping up and down and is very actively seeking NATO's protection, which is tantamount to a slap in the face of Russia. As a result, relations between the two sides have become extremely stiff, and the Russian side has not hesitated to sacrifice the stick of sanctions.
So, why is the time node set in 1940? And why is Latvia so bad on relations with Russia?
(Latvia)
Second, the forcible "marriage" of the people was scattered, and a large number of ethnic Russians poured in
Latvia is indeed a small country, only more than 60,000 square kilometers; At its peak in the 90s, the population was approaching 3 million, but by 2018 it had dropped to 1.8 million.
Its history as an independent state is very short, only 22 years before it was incorporated into the Soviet Union, and after its disintegration, it has only been half a century since it appeared as a single country.
Historically, Latvia has been in the hands of different countries. In the 18th century, it was under Polish administration, but soon came under the Franco-Russian partition of Poland.
In 1918, Soviet power in Latvia was recognized by the Soviet Union; However, the good times did not last long, and in 1920 it was replaced by the bourgeoisie that came to power.
As a result, the nascent country was not close to the Soviet Union and chose the route of looking westward in an all-round way. The success of nationalist education created an aggressive image of Tsarist Russia and the Soviet Union in the hearts of the people, and laid the foundation for the upsurge of anti-Russian and anti-Soviet sentiment in the future.
(Latvia)
During this period, the problem of non-citizens arose: refugees from several neighboring countries and a number of stateless people for various reasons. And there are quite a few of them, with a rough estimate of 44,000.
It's just that most of the refugees come from Russia, Belarus and other places, and Latvia is subjectively unwilling to solve it, so it has been delayed.
In 1940, Latvia joined the Soviet Union. However, it must be emphasized that, unlike other member states, it is not voluntary, but a forced buy.
The legal basis for its inclusion in the Soviet sphere of influence was the 1939 treaty between the Soviet Union and Germany, and in 1940 the Soviet Union took Latvia under the pretext of sending troops directly.
Under the more than 20 years of operation of the Latin American government, there is not much room for communism to develop and grow, and the number of party members in the whole country is in the hundreds. In such a situation, it is difficult to say that the population would have actively embraced the USSR.
(Map of the Soviet Union)
In order to better control Latvia, the Soviet Union did two things: first, it changed a large number of members of the government leadership and arranged for its own people to be the heads of major departments; The second is the migration of a large number of ethnic Russians, diluting their own people.
If this had been the case, perhaps the resistance would not have been so great: since 1941, more than 250,000 Latvians have been either expelled or exiled to the harsh environment of Siberia.
In 1958, there was a major earthquake in Latvia's political arena: more than a dozen core and near-core officials stepped down one after another, and they were replaced by ethnic Russians. In this situation, the people can only sigh: Latvia is no longer a Latvian people.
At the same time, Russian was forced to replace Latin as the official language. As a result, after just two or three decades, 13% of Russians are native speakers, and 69% of Russians can use Russian to complete daily communication.
Over time, small contradictions gradually accumulated into major divisions. In 1987, a large number of people gathered in Riga to participate in the campaign against joining the Soviet Union; In 1988, the scale of the event expanded, and people shouted "Russia get out".
(Latvia)
In 1989, Latin America took the lead in establishing "national laws above all else", which opened the way for the Soviet Union to be torn apart.
A year before the collapse of the USSR, Latvia had already launched steps towards independence. In August 1991, the Soviet Union officially broke away from the Soviet Union, and four months later, the Soviet Union was completely history.
Third, the road to naturalization is really difficult, and the situation has not improved
In this struggle for independence, the Russians became victims: when they were needed, they were allowed to be naturalized; When he was done, he was kicked away.
They are also people who sweated for the construction of Latvia, and a significant part of them are specialists in various industries sent by the USSR in the past. Latvia's rapid development in the automotive, electrical and other industries is inseparable from their support.
Non-citizens, without the right to vote, cannot participate in the governance of the country, are at the bottom of the social chain.
(before and after the collapse of the Soviet Union)
The problem of non-citizens disappeared in Soviet times, and those people, together with others, automatically became citizens of the USSR. But after the separation, it is up to Latvia to decide whether or not to give citizenship.
The reality is that whether it is the antagonism of national sentiments or the fear of the huge and culturally independent "foreigners", it is inevitable that they will try their best to suppress the Russian nationality.
In the 50 years from 1940 to 1990, the number of ethnic Russians increased by more than 700,000, while the number of ethnic Russians decreased by about 100,000. This increase and subtraction broke the original balance between the two sides.
In particular, Latvia needs to return to the line they took in the twenties and thirties of the last century: to build its own national identity and move closer to Europe. No matter which of these two points is to be realized, the Russians are in the way.
What is even more taboo is that ethnic Russians in the country run the risk of becoming puppets of Russia's control of Latvia. So, the first thing they did after independence was to kick the non-citizens out of the government.
(Russian)
In 1994, Latvia adopted a law to limit the time of 1940, and those who have migrated to the country since then have no nationality. Obviously, this is a cut from the Soviet Union, with Russia.
The reason is simple, 1940 was the year of joining, and the large-scale migration of ethnic Russians was also after that. Taking 1940 as a node, it is enough to distinguish between the Latin American and the ethnic minorities led by the Russians.
Of course, Latvia also knows that it can't block all the roads, and gives a way to naturalization. However, the conditions and implementation were very strict, and the number of people approved each year for the first three years was only two or three thousand.
The reason for the slight relaxation after the new century is not that it has changed its attitude towards ethnic Russians on its own, but that it is actually the European Union that is putting pressure behind it. It wanted to join the European Union, but the European Union had requirements for the treatment of minorities in its member states.
As a result, in 1998 Latvia relaxed the scope of naturalized persons. Coupled with the successful accession to the European Union in 2004, it briefly attracted non-citizens to apply for naturalization.
(Latvia)
With the opening of visas to non-citizens in 2008, the difficulty of naturalization has gradually diminished.
However, for so many years, the Latin American government has been unwilling to give up the use of non-citizens to restrict ethnic Russians, and has never had the sincerity to seek a solution. Moreover, the quality of relations between Latin America and Russia is still a barometer of the treatment of ethnic Russians in Latin America.
Since their separation, the two countries have basically been in a less friendly state for a long time. Latvia is at the forefront of anti-Russian opposition and has been raising the flag for NATO's eastward expansion.
After the Crimea operation in 2014, Latvia became even more fearful of Russia, fearing a repeat of history, and even rejected a 20-year-old proposal to grant citizenship to the newborns.
The sudden outbreak of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine in 2022 has made the situation even worse for non-citizens. Latin America has revised the language requirements in the law, making it more difficult, and in 2022, 2023, and 2024, it has used this as an excuse for mass expulsion of ethnic Russians.
(Russian Embassy in Latin America)
In December 2023, they deported 1,213 ethnic Russians, including more than 700 people over their 60s. The largest number of people was in August of the same year, when more than 6,000 people were forced to leave the place where they had struggled for many years.
It is no wonder that Putin will "spit fragrant" on Latvia at human rights-related meetings, and they have indeed suppressed ethnic Russians for many years and do not treat these people as compatriots.
Resources:
Ma Gang. Russia and Latvia: Behind the Rivalry...... World Knowledge,1998,(10):18-19.
Dongji. The Russians in Latvia are in a difficult situation[J].World Knowledge,1992,(17):13.)