On Tuesday, the 6th of February, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned plenipotentiary clerks of all three Baltic States in order to present them with a protest against their “sabotage” of the Russian president’s election.
Moscow accused Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania of ignoring Russia’s request to ensure the safety of its embassies’ election sites.
“Plenipotentiary clerks of all three Baltic States were summoned to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Moscow due to the lack of appropriate response […] to the repeated requests from Russia to guarantee safety during presidential elections in March,” as mentioned in the ministry’s statement.
Moscow wants Baltic States to “take all necessary measures” to guarantee the safety of embassies and voters and avoid to avoid “serious demonstrations by Russian citizens living in these countries”.
“If the sabotage continues, we will act decisively,” the Russian ministry threatens.
According to independent media Meduza and Verstka, the Kremlin has ordered officials to ensure at least 80% of Russia’s population vote for Putin.
Also read: Away from Latvia and off to Brussels. Why are three active Latvian ministers running as candidates in EP elections?
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