Activist Zhgun, who defends monuments in Latvia, spoke about the pressure of the authorities

Civil society activist Alexander Zhgun, who opposes the demolition of Soviet monuments in Latvia, has left the country to escape criminal prosecution. In an interview with Izvestia on April 1, he said that he was facing a serious prison sentence in the Baltic country for a politically motivated case.

In Latvia, Zhgun was accused of "creating a criminal organization." As a result of the meeting, which took place on April 1, he was put on the wanted list. The indictment alleged that in 2022, he and several other activists allegedly met in Russia to "coordinate actions against Latvia."

"Check it out (being in Russia. — Ed.) it could have been very easy. Send border crossing requests. When I leave Latvia, they take my passport, scan it, and I get into the database...But there are no certificates in the criminal case, no expert examinations," Zhgun said.

The activist himself calls the accusations absurd and notes that the fact of his crossing the border during the specified period has not been confirmed by the investigation. Later, he left the country, arrived in Pskov and settled in a refugee center. According to him, he did not seek the truth in a Latvian court.

According to Zhgun, the accusation was based on "outright exaggerations." For example, the publication of a photo of the Federal Security Service (FSB) building with congratulations on a professional holiday was interpreted as proof of cooperation with the Russian secret service.

"That's what I said: if I posted the hospital building and congratulated the doctors, it doesn't mean that I'm a doctor or connected to them in any way. It's absurd, but when you're facing 10 years to life in prison, it's no longer funny," he said.

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In another episode, the phrase "I have all the moves written down" was taken out of context and presented as an indication of maintaining a secret dossier. Zhgun explained that this is a quote from the book "12 Chairs" by writers Ilya Ilf and Evgeny Petrov.

The activist also spoke about the tightening of legislation in Latvia in recent years. According to him, new articles have appeared providing for real terms for reposts, the publication of St. George's ribbons and participation in memorial actions.

"If the ruling ones [in Latvia] don't like you, your protest is immediately declared a "Kremlin order," and you are a "pro—Kremlin activist." It doesn't matter if you're Latvian or Russian," Zhgun said.

He also drew attention to double standards: monuments to Soviet soldiers are being destroyed, but at the same time a shield in the form of a chevron of the Latvian Legion of the Nazi SS unit was installed in the city of Ogre.

"According to the law, Nazi symbols are prohibited in Latvia. But this shield was not removed. The installation caused a lot of negativity even among Latvians," the activist noted.

According to Zhgun, the demolition of monuments began since the collapse of the USSR. However, after the start of the special military operation in Ukraine, these processes accelerated and became systemic. He also noted that among the Latvian population there are those who oppose the glorification of Nazism and the destruction of the memory of Soviet soldiers, but their voices are drowned out by state propaganda.

The activist stressed that his struggle was aimed not only at protecting monuments, but also at preserving historical memory, as well as protecting the rights of the Russian-speaking population of Latvia, who are discriminated against.

In the interview, Zhgun also added that in Latvia, all political cases end with real terms of imprisonment. According to him, the principle of "zero tolerance" applies to political affairs: instead of fines, only imprisonment is imposed — even for a year, but it must be a term.

Given the severity of the charges, Zhgun expected a sentence of at least 15 years and decided to leave the country. He explained that he understood: A guilty verdict would follow in their case, and there was no choice left — either to go to prison or to evacuate. He expressed the hope that his family would be able to move to Russia and that he would be able to continue his activities in the new environment.

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Alexander Bastrykin, Chairman of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, said on January 15 that his agency was recording cases of destruction and damage to monuments to Soviet soldiers in Ukraine, as well as in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Germany, Bulgaria, Moldova, the Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland and a number of other countries. He clarified that about half of the Soviet memorial sites abroad were destroyed by decisions of government officials of the respective countries, the rest were damaged by the actions of Russophobic and nationalist groups.

Last December, in the Polish city of Mashevo, local authorities demolished a monument to Soviet soldiers. It is specified that the local authorities decided to demolish the monument due to the requirements of the Institute of National Security. The Institute considered it a "propaganda object" reminiscent of totalitarian regimes.

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