Latvian Russians Union (LKS) plans to hold a protest action against the demolition of the monument to the soldiers of the Soviet army in Pārdaugava.
LKS co–chairman Miroslavs Mitrofanovs informs on the party’s Facebook page that he has submitted an application for holding a protest action.
The protest is planned on Monday, August 22, and the event is planned in Victory Park, in the square behind the monument.
Mitrofanov informs that more than 10,000 signatures against the monument’s demolition have been collected. They are said to have been submitted to the institutions of the European Union.
LKS will also propose to the central election commission a referendum on the future fate of Soviet–era monuments.
It has already been reported that in the assessment of the Latvian State Security Service (VDD), provocations cannot be ruled out during the dismantling of the Soviet–era war monument in Pārdaugava, including the efforts of pro–Kremlin–minded persons to stop or delay the demolition of the monument.
VDD constantly follows the activities related to the upcoming dismantling of the monument. In order to identify the risks to the national security, the VDD assesses the development of the activities related to the planned dismantling both in Latvia and outside its borders.
It has already been reported that on August 5, the Riga City Council Finance and Administrative Affairs Committee supported the decision to allocate funding for the dismantling of the monument dedicated to the Soviet Army.
The construction contractor for the dismantling of the monument was selected through a closed consultation procedure.
Although a contractor has been chosen, it is not being named at the moment, as a safety protocol for the dismantling of the monument is being drawn up to ensure not only the safety of the dismantling process, but also to avoid any possible provocation risks.
In total, of around EUR 2.1 million is expected to be spent on the monument’s demolition.
It is planned to use the EUR 268,383 obtained in the public fundraising campaign for the dismantling of the monumentand the funding is planned to be used to clean up the area after the monument is dismantled. It is also expected that the state will finance up to 50% of the total costs attributable to dismantling.
Given the time available for the dismantling of the monument, the builder will not use the conventional demolition method. It is most likely that the monument will be dismantled by knocking it down.
The question of whether there is a place in Latvia for the monument dedicated to the Soviet army in Victory Park became especially relevant with the Russia full scale invasion in Ukraine.
The question of whether there is a place in Latvia for the monument dedicated to the Soviet army in Victory Park became especially relevant Russia invaded Ukraine.
Discussions on these issues ended when Saeima adopted a law that stipulates that all monuments dedicated to the Soviet regime that are not related to graveyards must be removed in Latvia by November 15.