Ten Russian citizens who have supported the war in Ukraine have been declared personae non gratae by the Latvian Foreign Affairs Ministry.
According to a press release by the Foreign Ministry, the decision will remain effective for an indefinite period, and the affected individuals will not be allowed to enter Latvia under any circumstances, Schengen.News reports.
Banned Individuals Have Close Ties With Dictatorial Russian Regime
The list of people who have been banned from the Latvian territory is as follows:
1. Elena Ruzyak
2. Denis Pospelov
3. Oleg Belkov
4. Sergey Paster
5. Ivan Sadchikov
6. Tatyana Krivenko
7. Valery Fokin
8. Andrei Bolotov
9. Natalya Timakova
10. Alexander Budberg
Oleg Belkov is named a shareholder in Latvia’s Rietumu Banka, while Sadchikov is the owner of a property. Others are related to the Russian regime and have business interests in Latvia.
Recently, Latvia blacklisted a Russian entrepreneur – a decision which occurred in efforts for the authorities to protect national security interests.
Alex Pospehov, a Russian citizen who was involved in the start-up visa scheme in Latvia, has had an impact on many Russians who have been able to obtain such visas since 2021. Around 292 Russian nationals and their families obtained residence permits through the start-up programme.
The Citizenship and Migration Affairs Board (PMLP) announced in July that 60 Russian nationals were ordered to leave the country. By the half of 2024, about 2,000 Russian nationals had left the country on a voluntary basis.
Latvia to Ban Russians From Buying Property
The Latvia government is considering banning Russian citizens from buying property in their country – a move that was previously adopted by the Finnish authorities.
On top of banning Russians from purchasing properties in the Latvian territory, Russian and Belarussian nationals are not allowed to benefit from Latvia’s golden visa program, which can grant foreigners a residence permit in the country if they make investments of at least €250,000 in the country.
It is estimated that over 2,000 Russians have voluntarily left Latvia since February 2024, when the Russian war in Ukraine started. Latvia is the most populated country with Russian ethnics among all three Baltic countries.
Source: https://schengen.news/latvia-blacklists-10-russian-citizens/
