Russian and Belarusian special services recruit people to not only acquire intelligence about latvia, but also to cause various damage in the country, LTV programme Rīta panorāma was told by the Chief of Latvian State Security Service (VDD) Normunds Mežviets.
“VDD has multiple investigations in the works regarding such incidents,” the head of VDD told the programme. Mežviets mentioned that VDD actively cooperates with colleagues in Estonia and Lithuania, because there are groups that cause damage in multiple countries simultaneously.
“In February this year we detained in Latvia one person with dual Russian and Estonian citizenship. This person was caught defacing memorial sites in Latvia and Lithuania at the order of Russian special services,” Mežviets told LTV.
The chief of VDD stressed that the possible ties of the man caught attempting to set fire to the Museum of Occupation to Russian and Belarusian special services are under investigation as well.
“We are also investigating if these people have any ties to special services of countries hostile to Latvia.”
BNN previously reported that the man who threw a firebomb into the Museum of Occupation was not individually motivated, rather he was directed by someone else, as previously reported by Chief of Latvian State Police Armands Ruks.
He stressed that authorities will not reveal more details about external influencing. Nevertheless, it is no secret to anyone that Latvia is geopolitically threatened and suffers various hybrid attacks from the outside all the time.
Ruks said the increased threat of hybrid attacks is tied to the approaching presidential elections in Russia. He added that as weather becomes warmer, attempts to illegally cross the Latvian border become easier.
Also read: LSA: it’s important to make sanctions more effective
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VDD: Russian special services recruit people to perform sabotage in Latvia
