MOSCOW, May 21. /TASS/. About one thousand Russians have been forced to leave Latvia because of discrimination, Russian Foreign Ministry's Department for Work with Compatriots Abroad Division Head Konstantin Guz said at a roundtable discussion at TASS dedicated to issues of resettling Russians living abroad.

"I would like to note that expulsions do occur, but they are still of a targeted nature. They create unbearable conditions for [our] compatriots to leave their countries of residence on their own," Guz said. "At the beginning of this year, in Latvia, those people who were warned that discriminatory measures would be taken against them left the country without waiting for any decision from the Latvian migration authorities. The number of people who have already left the country is about one thousand," he added.

He pointed out that since last June, a new version of the law on citizenship has been in effect in the republic. According to this law, citizenship obtained under special circumstances in the presence of citizenship of another country can be easily revoked. "The basis for this is the notorious Russian threat, support for Russian aggression, a threat to national security," Guz said.

Besides, according to him, the Lithuanian national security authorities are conducting additional checks on people who received Lithuanian passports as an exception. "This concerns our citizens and it implies that several hundred more people are at risk," he added.