The State Security Service (VDD) reports that on Monday, the 6th of February, a pro-Kremlin activist was detained in Latvia. According to information available to VDD, this person is involved in activities aimed against Latvia’s national safety interests on Baltic anti-fascists channel on Telegram.
According to information from LETA,
the detained person is Tatyana Andriyets.
VDD had mentioned this person in its report for the year 2021, which mentions that in the second half of 2021 that a student of St. Petersburg State University and activist of the Latvian Russians Union (LKS) Andriyets was appointed as the manager of Russian Youth in Latvia Council (KTLJP) unregistered organisation. As the head of KTLJP she visited the 7th World Russian National Congress in Moscow in October 2021.
Andreyets regularly participated in public events organised by LKS and her compatriots. The main goal of those activities was creating the impression about Latvia as a country in which Russians are oppressed and which is engulfed in «spy mania» in the interests of Kremlin’s aggressive propaganda, as mentioned in VDD’s report.
The activist the activist and other Russia-based Latvian citizens are held suspect of providing aid to Russia against Latvia through systematic propaganda and various influencing activity on Telegram. The criminal procedure over this was commenced on the 28th of November 2022.
The person detained in this criminal procedure is one of the administrators and moderators of the Telegram channel. Since August 2022 she has lived in Russia. Recently, however, she has arrived in Latvia. VDD performed a court-sanctioned search at her home. Law enforcers confiscated various data storage devices. Contents of those storage devices will be evaluated as part of the evaluation. VDD plans to announce application of security measure to the detained person soon.
LKS leader Miroslavs Mitrofanovs confirmed that Andriyets is detained. However, he is not aware of the reasons behind her detainment. LKS is currently waiting for official information from VDD about the status of their member. Multiple Telegram users write that Andriyets had only recently came to Latvia from St. Petersburg, where she currently attends university studies.
VDD reports having found various activities on Baltic anti-fascists Telegram channel aimed against Latvia’s national security interests. This Telegram channel frequently glorifies Russia, its political regime, foreign policy and aggression against Ukraine.
The channel posts invitations to perform cyber attacks on Latvian state administration institutions and private companies.
Followers of the channel are invited to collect information about infrastructure of Latvian National Armed Forces and NATO allies in the country. The channel also compiles information about Latvia’s state officials and other publicly well-known people who condemn the Russian-Ukrainian war.
The Telegram channel states this information is planned to be handed over to Russian special services and other institution to take measures against those people. The channel also publishes sensitive information as well, such as possible home addresses of these people and their relatives.
VDD believes the goal of these activities is influencing the public opinion and decision-making processes in Latvia by exacting psychological pressure on Latvian officials and society.
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