VILNIUS, October 23. /TASS/. Russian Charge d’Affaires in Latvia Oleg Zykov does not rule out that the Riga authorities may move to forcibly deport Russian nationals from the Baltic state.

"As regards potential deportations, there is certainly such a possibility and it is quite real," he said in an interview with TASS.

According to the Russian diplomat, everything will depend on what instructions Riga gives to local officials and how zealously they will follow them.

In September 2022, the Latvian Saeima (parliament) approved amendments to the immigration law requiring that resident Russian nationals seeking to maintain permanent residency in the Baltic state take examinations to verify their proficiency in Latvian at a minimum level of A2, or otherwise face the threat of revocation of their residency permits. As many as 3,255 Russian citizens have received notifications that their permits will soon expire.

However, the Russian embassy hopes that provoking an imminent humanitarian crisis is not in Riga’s interests. "We remain hopeful that common sense will prevail and that the authorities in Latvia will prevent the situation from escalating to an all-out humanitarian crisis," Zykov concluded.