Ethnic Russians make up about a quarter of Latvia's population. Beatrice Paez. As Mercedes Stephenson reports from Riga, the crisis is causing tension between some families. In Lithuania, Russians make up roughly 15 percent of the population of the capital Vilnius and a third of the population of Klaipeda, the country's third largest city. There are numerous organizations and associations in the Baltic states oriented to local ethnic Russians and Russian-speakers—61 in Estonia, 81 in Latvia and 97 in Lithuania—some of which are . Most of Latvia's Russians were sent in as Soviet settlers while the country was under Soviet occupation (1940-1990). 'We are all people': Ethnic Russians in Latvia divided on Ukraine invasion - Mar 4, 2022 "I have a one-year-old baby and I don't know if we're going to survive, what will happen to us? Share. Editor's Note: This report contains an inadvertent reference to 'Balkan' instead of 'Baltic.' The Balkans is a region of southeastern European countries conn. Most are citizens, and as usual the Harmony party, which gets most of their support, came first in the election. The two communities are greatly divided. Today, roughly 1,315,000 people live in Estonia. Russians in Latvia are diverse in terms of religious identity. FILE - In this Monday, Sept. 12, 2011 file photo, Nils Usakovs, Mayor of Riga, Latvia's capital, and a leader of the Harmony Center party . Russia has long accused EU member Latvia of . I need to make a little remark here, Latvia was part of the Soviet Union back in the days when I. According to the 1989 census, there were 906,600 Russians in Latvia (34 percent of the population) and . The colonization was massive indeed: the Russian population shot up from 8,8% in 1935 to 34% in 1989. The comments come as many in the three Baltic nations—part of the former Soviet Union—have expressed fears about being the target of possible Russian expansionism. Nils Muiznieks, Latvia's special task minister for integration, said there were several reasons why the country's ethnic Russians were particularly successful in business. Russian minorities are subjected to several and inconsistent restrictions for being "non-citizens". Russians constitute 27.6% of Latvia's population of 2 million, the largest ethnic group among the minorities living in Latvia. Nationalists on social media took advantage of this survey to assert that there is a "fifth column" made up of a significant portion of Latvian ethnic Russians, many of them descendants of . I am an ethnic Russian who was born on the territory of Latvia. The ethnic Russians of Latvia and Estonia aren't, for the most part, members or any potential fifth column. Today, more than 300,000 people living in Latvia - most of them ethnic Russians who have been there for decades - remain non-citizens. Like many countries that emerged from the Soviet Union, Latvia's ethnic composition is a patchwork: Latvians make up just over 60 percent of the population, Russians about a quarter, followed by . The largest minority ethnic groups are Russians (25.6 per cent), Belarusians (3.4 per cent), Ukrainians (2.3 per cent) and Poles (2.1 per cent). According to the 1989 census, there were 906,600 Russians in Latvia (34 percent of the population) and . The majority of Russians affiliate themselves with Russia rather than Latvia. March 13, 2017 1:07 PM. 'They are bewildered,' one official said of ethnic Russians in Latvia, where authorities were quick to remove pro-Russian television broadcasts. Russians are doing fine, obviously. Nowadays even in most russian-concentrated areas (like Bolderāja, Ķengarags and others) people understands Latvian and does not seem to care about their nationality.. 5. Ethnic Russians living in Latvia and Lithuania, they point out, are "immigrants of various historical periods," ranging from those who fled religious persecution before 1917 to those who were transferred there during the Soviet occupation. Ethnic groups Latvian 62.7%, Russian 24.5%, Belarusian 3.1%, Ukrainian 2.2%, Polish 2%, Lithuanian 1.1%, other 1.8%, unspecified 2.6% (2021 est.) In Latvia, Russians make up roughly 40 percent of the population of Riga. Soviet legacy. In recent years, though, the Latvian government has made citizenship available to ethnic Russians through naturalization. An attitude survey was undertaken among the Russian population in Latvia in the spring of 1992, in which Russians were asked questions about language fluency, intermarriage, their selection of mass media, personal libraries, contacts woth relatives outside Latvia, inter‐ethnic relations, discrimination due to nationality, preference for . Belarusians The Belarusians in Latvia amount to 3.4% of the country's population. 2005). As Russia's invasion of Ukraine rages on, ethnic Russians in Latvia are divided on the deadly war. As an ethnic Russian member of Latvia's Parliament, Boriss Cilevics feels the daily crosscurrents created by the rift which, he stressed, is "not a problem of blood." About 25 percent of . And fears remain that an uprising of ethnic Russians could provoke an invasion. During the Soviet era migrants from other parts of the USSR, mainly ethnic Russians, Belarussians and Ukrainians migrated to Latvia and Estonia. While the majority are Eastern Orthodox there are also smaller numbers of Old Believers and Catholics. . The presence of numerous Russian-speaking residents, many of whom are not Latvian citizens, is a legacy from the days of the Soviet occupation. Russians residing in Latvia who do not possess citizenship cannot hold certain public positions (e.g. Ethnic Russians face discrimination within the state system which curtails their political and civil rights. Most of them . On the other hand, another article from the BBC indicated that Russians and Latvians were able to cohabit peacefully and that "[t]here is no ethnic strife in the streets of Latvia" (25 Mar. RIGA, Latvia (AP) — Latvians voted in a parliamentary election Saturday in which a party catering to the Baltic nation's large ethnic Russian minority is expected to win the most support but have trouble forming a coalition government. As of 2011, 38.5% of Tallinn's population were ethnic Russians and an even higher number - 46.7% spoke Russian as their mother tongue. Parties that draw their support from Russian speakers heavily influence domestic politics. However, they were not allowed to vote. Editor's Note: This report contains an inadvertent reference to 'Balkan' instead of 'Baltic.' The Balkans is a region of southeastern European countries connected to the Balkan Peninsula, whereas 'Baltic' refers to the Baltic states, made up of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Ever since Latvia regained its independence in 1991 various Russian officials, journalists, academics and pro-Russian activists have criticised Latvia for its Latvian language law and Latvian nationality law and repeatedly accused it of "ethnic discrimination against Russians", "anti-Russian sentiment" and "Russophobia". More than a quarter of Latvia's 2.2m people are ethnic Russians, most of whom are taught in Russian. In fact, over the years, Russians have become the largest ethnic minority in Latvia. So, irrespective of all issues between ethnic Russians and the Latvian government, Latvia is the native language of the state. Answer (1 of 16): I edited the question before writing this answer - whoever wrote the question was not particularly fluent in English. Latvian society is divided on ethnic grounds," says Vjaceslavs Dombrovskis, the economy minister. From 1995 until today this law has been modified seven times. In some places, they comprise a small fraction of the population, while in others — Latvia and Estonia in particular — ethnic Russians make up a considerable bulk of the population — 24.5 . They are increasingly integrated, perhaps not so much into the Baltic states . RIGA, Latvia—Russian Ambassador Aleksandr Veshnyakov created a new wave of concern in Latvia with recent remarks saying it may soon become easier for ethnic Russians in Latvia to obtain Russian . By Tacita Vero. Many ethnic Russians live in large cities, enhancing their ability to organize protests. By Allan Woods Special to the Star Thu., March . In the beginning of 2017, the ethnic distribution of Latvia's population was 62 % Latvians, 25.4 % Russians, 3.3 % Belorussians, 2.2 % Ukrainians, 2.1 % Poles, 5% other ethnicities . Today about 25% of Latvia's population are ethnic Russians. Russians were generally not learning Latvian language nor customs, expecting Latvians to learn "the Russian ways". Fifty-seven ethnic Latvians completed an identity questionnaire to obtain estimates of their ethnic beliefs and rated the speech of eight Latvian-Russian bilinguals for personal traits, judged . Latvians (and Livs) are the indigenous people of Latvia, but there are many other ethnic groups living in Latvia, of which Russian minority is the largest one. With "gray passports," many ethnic Russians in Estonia live in a state of legal limbo. And the number of ethic Russian non-citizens is dropping. However, the only official language is Latvian. The country's current class of millionaires, many who built their wealth in the early 1990s, used their professional contacts in Russia. Russians assumed non-citizenship status but were afforded most of the same rights as Latvians. In Estonia, Latvia and Ukraine - the three former republics in the survey that are home, proportionately, to the largest ethnic Russian populations outside of Russia - ethnic Russians are more likely than the rest of the population to agree with the statement, "A strong Russia is necessary to balance the influence of the West." In addition to deep economic ties, Latvia's exposure stems from a people split among cultural lines, with many ethnic Russians relying on Russian television for the bulk of their information. Historical context The first large groups of ethnic Russians arrived in Latvia in the eighteenth century as part of Russia's growing influence during the Northern War. In Latvia the condition of these people is disciplined by the 1995 law "on the status of the former citizens of the Soviet Union who did not have Latvian or others citizenships". From 1995 until today this law has been modified seven times. This article deals with Latvian becoming the dominant language in Latvia. About 70 percent of them are ethnic Estonians, and approximately 26 percent are ethnic Russians. While Russia claims to have acted in defense of Russian speakers, ethnic Russians, and Russian citizens, others fear that the intentions go further and are explained by a desire by Russia to expand into former Soviet territories (Allison, 2017; Takacs, 2017). According to 2016 government data, there has been a slight increase in the Latvian population, the main ethnic group, who make up 61.8 per cent of the total population. The results of the study show that the proportion of Latvians increased from 52% in 1989 to 57.7% in 2000 and to 59.3% in . The Baltic states of Estonia and Latvia, both former Soviet republics, were once mandatorily Russian-speaking. Most of ethnic Russians in Latvia are actually citizens, so in that case we have had ethnic Russian ministers, mayors of several towns (and current mayor of Riga) etc., and in theory you could become a prime minister or a president too (I say in theory, because it would be very hard as currently i Continue Reading Taylor Johnson They have separate political parties, cultural activities, schools, opinions about history, and much else. Latvia and Estonia have significant ethnic Russian populations. In Latvia, Russians have been the largest ethnic minority in the country for the last two centuries. Published February 7, 2022. How Russia's military strategy is shaping how the West reacts ETHNIC RUSSIANS AND MINORITY RIGHTS IN THE BALTIC STATES DURING THEIR EU ACCESSION PROCESS Güngör, Özge Master of Science Department of Political Science and Public Administration Supervisor : Assist. About 27 percent of Latvia's 2 million people are Russian, as are about a quarter of Estonia's 1.3 million. Some can trace their families in the area back to. pharmacists, lawyers, firemen, doctors, police . An elderly Latvian woman casts her ballot papers at a polling station in Riga, Latvia, Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018. Russian minorities are subjected to several and inconsistent restrictions for being "non-citizens". Latvia's Russian 'non-citizens' Train to nowhere Latvia's second-largest city Daugavpils is geographically and socially detached from Riga, with a population of over 50 percent ethnic Russians. Latvia is rather neatly divided into two large groups: the indigenous Latvians, who make 62,1% percent of population, and the Russian native speakers, who make up 37,2%. A little less want Latvia to stay neutral. One of the key tasks of the Latvian state and its society in this new situation will be to maintain unity across the ethnic lines. We don't. Latvia has separate political parties, cultural institutions, and media for ethnic Latvians and Russians. Ethnic Russians In Latvia Divided On Ukraine Invasion Lyrics. In Latvia the condition of these people is disciplined by the 1995 law "on the status of the former citizens of the Soviet Union who did not have Latvian or others citizenships". As a result, in the early 1990s, Latvian society had been divided along ethnic lines. Ethnic Russians in Latvia in 1989, just a couple of years before the Soviet collapse, formed was 34 percent of the population, in Estonia -30 percent and 9.4 percent in Lithuania. By 1959 about 400,000 Russian settlers arrived and the ethnic Latvian population had fallen to 62%. An influx of new colonists, including laborers, administrators, military personnel and their dependents from Russia and other Soviet republics started. Prof. Dr. Oktay F. Tanrısever November 2007, 145 pages This thesis examines the impact of the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Ethnic Russians seen as having weight in Latvian election. of ethnic Russians was extremely high: Estonia with 474,843, or 30.3 percent of the total population, Latvia with 906,000 or 34 percent, and Lithuania with 344,500, or 9.4 percent (Heleniak). They do not have the right to vote, and carry an "alien . Russia's neighbouring countries are already anxiously watching how the conflict is playing out,. pharmacists, lawyers, firemen, doctors, police . Ethnic Russians have big influence in Latvian election Back to video Polls closed at 8 p.m. (1700 GMT, 1 p.m. EDT) but voting was continuing at selected sites in North America for several more hours. In 2014, the fact that 25.2% of Latvia's inhabitants are ethnic Russians made many western journalists question whether Latvia would be the next European hotbed of ethnic conflicts fueled by Russia. These migrants were either forced to migrate in order to work in military-industrial complexes built to industrialize the countries or because they were bureaucrats from the Soviet regime or part of the military or KGB. RIGA, Latvia (AP) — Latvians voted in a parliamentary election Saturday in which a party catering to the Baltic nation's large ethnic Russian minority is expected to win the most support but have trouble forming a coalition government. 2005). In Russian Minority Politics in Post-Soviet Latvia and Kyrgyzstan, Michele E. Commercio draws on extensive field research, including hundreds of personal interviews, to analyze the responses of . A similar scenario played out in Crimea, another region in Ukraine with a Russian . Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. On the other hand, another article from the BBC indicated that Russians and Latvians were able to cohabit peacefully and that "[t]here is no ethnic strife in the streets of Latvia" (25 Mar. The number of Russians in Latvia more than quadrupled during the Soviet occupation of Latvia when the size of the community grew from 8.8% of the total population in 1935 (206,499) to 34.0% in 1989 (905,515). Now, nearly a quarter century later, both still have sizable Russian populations. Almost no Latvians (around 1 per cent) want Latvia to support Russia. The majority of the 545,000 ethnic Russians living in Latvia are Latvian citizens. In Latvia, 38% of residents claim Russian as their mother tongue, with immigrants from Belarus and other former Soviet republics joining the 26% of the country that is ethnic Russian in preferring . Back in Bolderaja, the Russian-speaking neighborhood, Kuznetsova expressed the feelings of some ethnic Russians long-implanted in Latvia. Bookmark. In reality, ethnic Russians in Estonia and Latvia face a vast amount of discrimination — to the point that it has been called out by organizations such as the UN and the EU. Russians residing in Latvia who do not possess citizenship cannot hold certain public positions (e.g. Ethnic Russians living in Latvia and Lithuania, they point out, are "immigrants of various historical periods," ranging from those who fled religious persecution before 1917 to those who were transferred there during the Soviet occupation. 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