Opinions voiced on the Russian public space about Ukraine and its residents do not inspire the belief that Russian society can be considered healthy, said Latvia’s ambassador to Russia Māris Riekstiņš in an interview to LTV programme Rīta panorāma.
According to the ambassador, different public announcements indicate that there is a high level of «latent revanchism» in Russia. As a result, there are often open calls for genocide of Ukrainians.
When asked how public support for Vladimir Putin’s regime has changed lately, the diplomat said it is difficult to assess, because all surveys performed in Russia should be viewed very critically. According to him, those who carry out the surveys say that more than 80% of respondents refuse to answer questions of political nature.
The ambassador said avoidance of political topics is understandable, because voicing an opinion opposite to the opinion held by the power in Russia is dangerous, which is indicated by multiple arrests of representatives of the opposition.
Currently nothing suggests there could be a riot in Russia, admits Riekstiņš. At the same time he adds that «things seemed stable in the USSR in 1985».
Looking at the usefulness of talks between western leaders and the Kremlin, the ambassador said sooner or later all conflicts conclude with talks. However, currently it is difficult to predict if such talks are useful now.
According to him, it is useful for western leaders to maintain communication channels, but it is important to keep in mind that the Russian regime has been deceptive in recent talks.
The sanctions imposed by the west have an effect, but not a critical one. The diplomat did say that the Russian economy is definitely in decline. This is why he expects autumn could be very painful budget revenue-wise.