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The VST took the procedural steps in the course of an investigation launched in January under an article of the Penal Code into a violation of the sanctions regime of the European Union, other international organizations or Latvia.
Information obtained during the investigation would indicate that economic resources have been transferred to a person subject to EU sanctions for actions that undermine the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.
During the search, VST took media and documents.
All seven people were taken into custody without custody. The VST does not specify the situation of these people in criminal proceedings.
Among those detained are former editor-in-chief of the Russian Baltnews portal Andrei Yakovlev, journalist Andrei Solopenka and publicist Vladimir Linderman, posted on Facebook by Baltnews journalist Ala Berezovskaya. The latter was also arrested.
Following questioning, A. Berezovskaya and other journalists were released.
Linderman’s attorney, Jelena Kviatkovska, confirmed to BNS that she is his client, but declined to comment further.
A total of at least six journalists were registered on December 3, according to Baltnews, the Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported.
Several journalists are accused of violating EU sanctions by working for the Russian state news agency Rossija Segodnia (RT), reports Kremlin spokesman Sputnik. She believes that RT was subject to sanctions imposed in 2014 on its CEO, Dmitry Kiseliov.
The Russian Foreign Ministry condemned Latvia’s VST actions against Russian-speaking journalists and said that no sanctions against Kiseliov can be imposed on anyone cooperating with Rossija Segodnia.
The ministry has promised to raise the issue in the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
The Russian Journalists Union (RJS) has demanded that all charges against the Russian journalists detained in Latvia be immediately dropped, the Interfax news agency reported.
“This illegal action has nothing to do with the law and is a direct attempt to show that the use of violence against Russian journalists and media is becoming the norm in the country. The arrest also clearly shows the gap between declared adherence to European values, such as freedom of expression and dissemination of information … and actual non-compliance, ”the statement was posted on the RSC website.
The RJS calls on Russian and international journalists and public organizations to “contribute to the protest” and use all possible means to “prevent it from happening again.”
On June 30, seven Russian propaganda TV channels RT were banned in Latvia, claiming that they were effectively controlled by Kiseliov. He claimed he had nothing to do with RT, reports the independent news portal Meduza.
BNS archival data shows that formerly pro-Russian activist V. Linderman has been involved in various criminal proceedings. For example, in April this year, VST dropped a criminal case started in 2018 over a protest organized by the Latvian Union of Russia (LRS) against the gradual transition to the Latvian language in all general education institutions. Several other people were also involved in the case, including LRS leader Tatjana Ždanok and Aleksandras Gaponenka.
In late 2018, the Latvian Supreme Court upheld the Riga District Court decision that acquitted two Russian nationals and V. Linderman for an incident at the Adazi army base in the summer of 2015.
Linderman was also accused of calling for the overthrow of power and possession of explosives. The court later acquitted him.
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