Latvia is strengthening security measures at key energy facilities amid concerns over possible Russian provocations, Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs said in an interview with Reuters. In recent weeks, the leaders of Latvia, Lithuania and Poland have pointed to Western intelligence warnings suggesting that Russia may be planning provocations and attacks targeting critical infrastructure across the region, although the Kremlin has dismissed such claims as “horror stories.”
Asked whether Latvia had increased security in response to these risks, Kulbergs said the country had reinforced protection at the Inčukalns underground gas storage facility, across the energy sector and energy companies, as well as at its hydroelectric power plants.
The prime minister also revealed that during talks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, he had asked the Alliance to strengthen Latvia’s air defence capabilities and increase the number of NATO troops stationed in the country. He further called for the rapid integration into NATO’s defence systems of counter-drone technologies that Latvia has been developing together with Ukraine.
According to Kulbergs, Russia’s lack of success on the battlefield in Ukraine increases the risk that Moscow could resort to hybrid operations. “Russia wants a quick victory, so the potential hybrid threat is greater than ever before,” he said, adding that “anything is possible.”
Kulbergs also said
the Latvian government is preparing for possible Russian attempts to interfere in the country’s parliamentary elections
scheduled for October. He criticised European Union member states, including Bulgaria, for blocking the EU’s 21st sanctions package against Russia, which would target around 250 individuals and entities, as well as Russia’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) sector.
According to the prime minister, vetoing parts of the sanctions package makes countries partly responsible for the deaths of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians. He argued that failing to act against Russia’s so-called shadow fleet of oil tankers and its LNG exports continues to finance Moscow’s war effort.
“Some European countries are also making significant profits from this. The question is: do you want to make money, or do you want peace? You cannot have both,” Kulbergs said.
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