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Three other equals: Russia will appeal to the International Court of Justice to protect Russians in the Baltic States
Moscow is going to appeal to the International Court of Justice, as the Baltic countries refuse to stop their policy of infringing on the rights of Russians. Russia's attempts to resolve differences through negotiations with Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have proved fruitless, the Foreign Ministry told Izvestia. The authorities of the republics consistently prohibit the use of the Russian language, rewrite history and persecute dissenters. In particular, in January, human rights defender Alexander Gaponenko was sentenced to ten years in prison. Experts believe that it may take years for the Russian Federation's complaint to be considered by the International Court of Justice, but it will draw global attention to this problem.
How Russia protects Russians in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia
The leaders of the Baltic republics refuse to stop their illegal policy towards the Russian-speaking population. The persecution has increased significantly in recent years. In countries that have not previously distinguished themselves by respecting the rights of people of different nationalities, there has been a sharp surge in Russophobia, cultivated at the state level.
Under the current conditions, attempts to resolve differences through negotiations are not yielding results, the Russian Foreign Ministry told Izvestia.
— We have repeatedly called on Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia to bear international responsibility in connection with these ongoing violations. However, the authorities of these countries refuse to stop their illegal policy, and all attempts to resolve differences through negotiations are unsuccessful. In this regard, we will obviously have to turn our claims into a judicial course by appealing to the main judicial body of the United Nations, the International Court of Justice," Smolenskaya Square stressed.
Moscow has previously appealed to international authorities to draw attention to the Russophobic policies in the Baltic states, especially in Latvia. In particular, appeals were received to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, as well as to the OSCE High Commissioner for National Minorities. However, it is not possible to get substantive information from them.
"The Ministry is systematically working on all possible UN human rights platforms to draw attention to the punitive policy of repression and intimidation carried out by the authorities of the Baltic states against public figures and human rights defenders who defend the interests of the Russian—speaking population of these countries," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
The International Court of Justice will accept the Russian Federation's complaint, but its consideration will take years, former UN Deputy Secretary General Sergei Ordzhonikidze told Izvestia.
— A complaint to the International Court of Justice is a political step. However, it is difficult to predict when the case will come to consideration and how it will be considered. For the first time in the history of the International Court of Justice, our judge is not there," the diplomat noted.
The supreme judicial body of the United Nations consists of 15 judges, but in 2023, the representative of Russia was not re-elected to its composition. The structure considers claims slowly: 201 cases have been on the list since 1946. In 2018, the International Court of Justice partially satisfied Qatar's lawsuit against the UAE in the case of discrimination against Qatari nationals after the severance of diplomatic relations between the countries in June 2017. Judges are currently considering mutual complaints from Armenia and Azerbaijan on a similar topic, although Baku and Yerevan have agreed to withdraw the claims after signing a peace treaty.
Vladimir Shapovalov, Deputy Director of the Institute of History and Politics at Moscow State University, told Izvestia that the chances of satisfying Russia's lawsuit against the Baltic countries are low due to the involvement of international organizations. However, filing a complaint with the International Court of Justice captures the position of the Russian Federation and draws attention to the problem.
The actions of the authorities of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia violate the provisions of international treaties, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. Among them are the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the Convention on Combating Discrimination in Education.
— Under the far-fetched pretext of fighting "Russian propaganda", the cleansing of the Latvian information field from any "dissent" continues. On March 30, 2026, the Constitutional Court of Latvia ruled that the use of national minority languages, including Russian, in state media is contrary to the Latvian Constitution, the Foreign Ministry noted.
A similar situation is observed in Estonia, the ministry emphasizes. They also infringe on the rights of national minorities (primarily Russian-speaking residents), who make up about 30% of the country's population.
"Taking into account the fact that the primacy of the Estonian ethnic group, its language and culture over other peoples living in the country is enshrined at the constitutional level, the political, social, economic and cultural rights of the non—titular population are openly restricted in Estonia," the ministry stated.
Human rights violations in the Baltic States
The issue of discrimination against the Russian-speaking minority in the Baltic republics arose immediately after the collapse of the USSR in 1991. The authorities of Latvia and Estonia have introduced the category of "non—citizens" - people living in these countries, but deprived of a number of rights, such as electoral rights. According to data for 2025, there were about 60 thousand non—citizens in Estonia, and about 165 thousand in Latvia.
The number of Russians in Latvia in 2024 was estimated at 437,000 out of a total population of 1.8 million. In Estonia, on January 1, 2026, the number of Russians amounted to 276 thousand, or 20% of the population, the state statistical authorities reported. Part of the Russian population has the citizenship of these countries or a residence permit. According to official data, the proportion of Russians in Lithuania does not exceed 5% of the total population.
However, after the start of its in February 2022, the authorities of the three countries sharply increased the pressure. At the same time, Latvia has taken the most anti-Russian position among the Baltic states, the Russian Foreign Ministry emphasizes. In particular, the Russian language has been banned in the education system, monuments are being destroyed, streets and historical districts are being renamed. To confirm a residence permit, it is now necessary to take a Latvian language proficiency exam. Otherwise, the Latvian authorities order them to leave the country, which is especially difficult for the elderly. Persecution is being conducted against undesirable parties and politicians. For example, deputy of the Riga City Council Alexei Roslikov, who spoke out against discrimination against Russian speakers, was stripped of his mandate.
Demolition of the monument to the Liberators of Riga
Human rights activists, including Alexander Gaponenko, who was sentenced to ten years in prison in January after his participation in a conference of the Russian Institute of CIS Countries. The 71-year-old scientist was imprisoned for "helping a foreign state in activities directed against Latvia," as well as for "inciting national hatred and hostility." Russian Russian MP Gaponenko has repeatedly criticized the authorities of the republic for their policy of ethnocide, which aims to completely erase Russian ethnic identity and eliminate the indigenous Russian population of Latvia as an ethnic group.
— The grossest and outright discrimination against Russians and Russian speakers in Latvia goes beyond all imaginable boundaries. The country's authorities are indeed implementing a long—term policy called "ethnocide" by Alexander Gaponenko, Russian diplomats stated.
The Russian Foreign Ministry told Izvestia that Russia intends to raise the issue of Gaponenko's imprisonment at the upcoming 62nd session of the UN Human Rights Council in June and July. Moscow intends to demand that the United Nations give an adequate public assessment of Riga's apparent violations of international human rights law.
Alexander Gaponenko
One of the other ways to help Russians in the Baltic States is to arrange their resettlement to Russia under the state program in force since the mid—noughties. Since 2024, the institute of repatriation has been introduced, which allows you to choose any region to live in the territory of the Russian Federation with compensation for relocation costs, provision of a monthly allowance until obtaining Russian citizenship and subsequent payment of housing subsidies.
— Since 2022, 1,945 people have arrived in Russia under the state program: from Latvia, 391 from Lithuania, 467 from Estonia. The number of refugees from the Baltic States to Russia, EU countries, and other states, refugees due to the prevailing Russophobia, discrimination, and behavioral patterns and pseudo-values that are alien to the traditional way of life, cannot be accounted for," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
The move of Russians is only part of the general trend towards the depopulation of the Baltic countries, which, according to the most conservative estimates, have lost a total of about 20% of their population since 1990. In March, these three countries recorded some of the lowest birth rates among EU countries. The policy of full support for Kiev, including providing it with air corridors for strikes against the Russian Federation, does not contribute to demography. Falling Ukrainian drones have already led to the resignation of the Latvian government, and residents of Vilnius were forced to hide in shelters on May 20 due to an air raid alert.
A policeman inspects damage to an oil tank after a drone crash in Rezekne, Latvia
Vladimir Shapovalov, Deputy Director of the Institute of History and Politics at Moscow State University, believes that a change in the Russophobic policy of the Baltic states is possible only if they lose the patronage of Brussels and become neutral. In this case, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia will be forced to pursue a balanced national policy, taking into account the interests of the Russian minority.
Meanwhile, the EU leadership turns a blind eye to the facts of discrimination in the Baltic States. The EU argues that issues of language policy, education, and the status of non-citizens should remain at the discretion of national authorities. The appeal of the Russian Federation to international authorities, in particular the UN Court, should be a reminder that European states are obliged to strictly observe the fundamental norms of international law, regardless of the political situation.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
