• Security Police knows the identities of the three men from Latvia taking part in the military actions on the side of Ukrainian separatists
• Latvijas Avize interviews a perennial politician, member of the political party “Concord” Aivars Kreituss

Latvijas Avize reports that identities of the three Russian speaking National Bolsheviks from Latvia who travelled to Eastern Ukraine in order to take part in the military actions on the side of Ukrainian separatists are known to the Security Police. Information about the three men from Latvia initially was published in a German newspaper Die Zeit. The three men also earlier were under the attention of the Security Police in connection with their activities in the National Bolsheviks movement and organising referendum on granting Russian language status of a state language in Latvia. Commenting the case, head of the Saeima’s Defence, Internal Affairs and Corruption Prevention Committee Ainars Latkovskis said that people who join terrorists in Ukraine should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.

Latvijas Avize interviews a perennial politician, ex-Minister of Economics (1993) and of Finances (1995-1996), presently member of the political party “Concord” Aivars Kreituss. Mr Kreituss says that he became member of the “Concord” because of their left oriented programme as the only alternative to social democratic union. Mr. Kreituss believes that it is the final time to establish the real social democracy without any ethnic dimension. Commenting the situation in Ukraine and Crimea and attitude of Latvian residents towards it, Mr Kreituss says that residents can have different opinion on it, but it is important that all the residents and citizens are loyal towards Latvia as possible. He also believes that integration policy which existed so far has failed because there was no political party willing to implement it in practice and because parties are more profitable to use ethnic controversies to gain power.

• Vesti Segodnya reports about anti-Russian statement made by a well-known Latvian PR expert Eriks Stendzenieks

Vesti Segodnya reports about a statement made by a well-known Latvian PR expert Eriks Stendzenieks and published on his social network profile towards his Russian speaking friends who like Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and support merge of Crimea with Russia. E. Stendzenieks called V. Putin psycho and killer, said that Crimea does not belong to Russia, as well as Moldova, Georgia, Ossetia, Karabakh, Yalta, Alaska, Kuriles, and Finland do not belong to it. E.Stendzenieks wrote: “there is no paradise in Russia where vodka flows like a river and where you will receive everything you want just because of who you are and you are unhappy Latvian Russians.” Commenting Stendzenieks’ statement, the newspaper draws attention to the increasing anti-Russian mood among ethnic Latvian society leaders and in society in general.

• 18 Ukrainians applied for asylum in Latvia from the beginning of the year till 7 August

According to the latest information of the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs, 18 Ukrainians applied for asylum in Latvia from the beginning of the year till 7 August. The Ukrainian asylum seekers come from the Eastern part of Ukraine – from Luhansk, Doneck, Dnepropetrovsk and Zaparozhye region. Majority of the asylum seekers have relatives residing in Latvia. Diena

• Neatkariga reports about increasing number of Ukrainians arriving to Latvia
• Russia will issue special visa for foreign citizens who want to become its citizens

Neatkariga reports about increasing number of Ukrainians arriving to Latvia. According to the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (OCMA), during the first half of 2014, it has received 9 asylum applications and granted 290 residence permits to Ukrainian citizens. The purpose of the majority of Ukrainians applying for residence permit is purchase of real estate in Latvia, family reunification, and work. The OCMA also links the increasing number of arriving Ukrainians with the military conflict in Ukraine. Head of the Union of Ukrainian Associations in Latvia Ludmila Bilinceva says she receives regularly phone calls from newly arrived Ukrainians asking questions on how to apply for refugee status in Latvia, where to learn Latvian language, how to apply for kindergarten, and etc.  

Vesti Segodnya reports that the government of the Russian Federation published a decree about new type of visa for foreign citizens acknowledged as Russian native speakers. New type of visa can be granted for a time period of one year to those foreign citizens who want to move to Russia with an aim of becoming its citizens.

• Latvijas Avize interviews the author of the Preamble to the Constitution of Latvia Levits

Latvijas Avize interviews the author of the Preamble to the Constitution of Latvia, judge of the European Court of Human Rights Egils Levits. The Preamble elaborated by Mr Levits came into force on 22 July but the adopted version differs from the initial by exclusion of a notion of  “state nation” referring to ethnic Latvians.  Mr Levits says that the notion was taken out due to controversial discussions about it, however, the meaning of “state nation” is described in the Preamble’s text. Mr Levits believes that the notion “state nation” should be used more frequently in public space and media. According to Mr Levits, there is a notion of ethnic minorities in Latvian Constitution and therefore there should also be the notion of state nation in order to stress that Latvia is a national state like other European countries. Mr Levits also says that relatively large part of Latvian residents believes that Latvia is like Australia which hosts immigrants from different countries pushing aside local residents and establishing state based on a new public agreement.