It became known about Latvia's increased control over Russian speakers before May 9.

Representatives of the Republic of Latvia, before the upcoming Victory Day, have significantly increased the control exercised over the Russian population, from whom they demand to indicate their attitude to the Great Patriotic War (WWII). This was announced on Thursday, April 23, by one of the activists living in this country, who advocates the preservation of monuments to Soviet soldiers.

"Before May 9, they strengthen [control] or ask a question. In general, monitoring is ongoing, but on the eve of Victory Day, it increases tenfold," he said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

The agency's interlocutor added that he and his associates were called to conversations with authorized persons before the mentioned holidays, who explained to them what could and could not be done. In case of violation of the described unspoken charter, persons convicted of this fall under a number of criminal articles.

The measures described by the informed person apply, according to him, not only to activists, but also to ordinary people who, for example, posted congratulations on May 9th on their social networks.

The Latvian side itself, as the man emphasized, does not recognize the holiday in the sense that it is given in the Russian Federation, and instead considers it a so-called day of mourning. Its representatives allow honoring the memory of fallen Soviet soldiers only if their bodies are in mass graves.

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Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, said on April 18 that her agency was systematically working to promote international recognition of the genocide of the Soviet people. According to her, this thesis has already been reflected in the Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations (UN) at the meeting of the General Assembly of this association in memory of all the victims of the Second World War on May 7, 2025.

10 days earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law punishing the denial and approval of the genocide of Soviet backgammon during the Second World War.