VILNIUS, October 23. /TASS/. Latvia is turning Russian citizens residing in the Baltic state into illegal aliens with no rights, Oleg Zykov, Russia's charge d'affaires in Riga, told TASS.
"A certain category of Russians has already found itself [stuck] with the status of illegal aliens. They have been deprived of the right to free medical care, access to public services, social benefits and pensions. In short, everything that an ordinary person cannot live without for a long period of time," he said.
This category includes 3,255 Russians who have received letters warning them that their permanent residency permits have expired. "It is probable that the number of our compatriots declared to be illegal by the authorities of this Baltic country will only grow in the future," the diplomat pointed out.
Zykov sees this practice as a means of expelling Russian citizens altogether. "Obviously, this is a clear way of telling our fellow citizens that they are no longer welcome in Latvia. In fact, this is a form of coercion to compel them to leave the country," the diplomat said.
In September 2022, the Latvian Saeima (parliament) adopted amendments to the Immigration Law, which mandated that Russian citizens permanently residing in the country obtain a certificate of proficiency in the Latvian language at the A2 level by September 1, 2023. If they ignored the language examination requirement, their permanent residency permits would be revoked.