On Saturday, Latvia stood up for itself – it wants to be Latvian. This is, undoubtedly, anti-Soviet, Vytautas Landsbergis wrote in lzinios.lt on 21 February.

The notorious dictator Joseph Stalin’s policy “regarding the national subject” was aimed at gradually liquidating nations like the minorities in the Russian periphery and merge them into a single, bad Russian speaking Soviet nation. The demographic (gently speaking) policy was supposed to serve the purpose, too, as its methods included the alteration of the composition of residents in their native lands and countries through violent starvation, expulsion, eternal exile, and relocation. Back in the days, the policy towards the former independent nations or those striving for independence had yet another goal: turning them into minorities in their own country so that nobody could change anything in the event of any voting decision.

Spontaneous demographic changes are one thing; but when they are forced, like it was done under Stalin’s rule, and on top of that having the brains of the weak rinsed in a solution of slavery and self-despise, this is already a slow genocide in camouflage.

The blame is not necessarily placed on the newly brought residents and their descendants. Allegiance to the new homeland and naturalisation, bonding rather than dissociation, should be the right path to take. This was something that the Lithuanian Sąjūdis offered. Unfortunately, still many instances of the complicated, sometimes even dangerous, legacy of the epoch of violence remain.

Latvia’s inheritance from the epoch is the extremely complex national or ethnic residential proportions. Solutions have been sought, some arrangements have been made; independence was a saviour. However, the time came when the formerly ruling neighbour felt the reviving appetite for expansion after a flash of democracy, and decided to take root in the region by using the advantage of the broad non-Latvian population living in Latvia.

First, everyone who moved to Latvia or who was moved from the ex-USSR and their descendants were no longer called Russians, Belarusians, Ukrainians, etc., but rather Russian speakers – as if it constituted their ethnic unity, which shall be taken care of by none other than Russia. (Lithuanian Poles are up next, as a “Slavic” unity proposal is currently on the table). Second, residents are being dissuaded from returning to their countries of origin, attempts are being made to prevent them from participating in peaceful integration and rally them against non-Soviet Latvian Latvia. Why? If the need arises, an internal “fifth column” could be formed there on an ethnic and anti-Latvian nationalistic basis. It was no coincidence that when the Party was established in Latvia and it received the corresponding assignment, it took the name neo-Bolsheviks. (Some Paleckis kids carrying the Red Front flag or Russia-fed dukes are only the blossoms compared to the much more consistently nurtured berries in Latvia. Among them are the geographic-economic structures, such as Livonija, Latgalija…)

The time has come when the foreign headquarters decided that Latvia was ripe enough and it was time to bend the branches and collect the fruit. In his first term of office, Vladimir Putin revealed the goal of turning Latvia into an official Latvian-Russian bilingual state. At the dawn of his third term of office, demands are now made for the recognition of Russian as the official language at European Union (EU) institutions. That would be an easy task for Russia, as a non-EU country, to attain, should any of the Member States accept Russian as their state language. It is obvious as to why Latvia was chosen as the target.

This was how signatures were collected and insistent demands proved successful with a referendum that was recently held in the country. Initiators were sure of their success in any event. Actually, hardly anyone put their bets on winning with a majority of votes but other implied goals were set on the stake. Split the Latvian society into Latvians and non-Latvians. Set Latvians and Russians apart. Muddle mixed families (of which there are many and that is no good for Moscow). Maybe even see some organised clashes sparking. All this would be to the advantage of the Bolsheviks – this is a classic example. Moreover, it would trigger propaganda in the West, Latvian nationalists rebuking each other at some European Parliament. Two or three rebukers from Latvia are already there. Lithuania has one, too. Estonians are still raising their own.

A small margin of difference in the results or the rejection of the Russian state language by a minor advantage of votes would have aided the propaganda and intermediary goals, for example, establishing an internal mini-country in a few regions – if not for the state, then at least for the regional language. This would lead to clamorous speculations – what if non-citizens were allowed to vote on the fate of the country!? (This was exactly the comment by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs). If this is forbidden, it is discrimination, and one can say whatever he wants. Shaken-up and frayed, Latvia would become the perfect flower to decorate the crown of the incoming president of the neighbouring country. Now it is only a temporary fiasco. Soon we shall see if the response comes in the form of retaliation or a whiff of sanity. It is most likely that the disruption will continue, the structures will attempt to separate Latgala, and take steps to push out the Latvian language and later the state from it. Russians themselves have defended the Russian honour by warding off the ghost of the united nationalist “fifth column”: quite a few of their organisations, also Russian citizens having the right of vote (some have wisely opted out), rejected the referendum as a provocation. In this respect, the attempts of the splitters went in vain. With no such intention in their mind, the initiators managed to unify vying Latvian politicians and their parties.

Latvian citizens – Latvians or loyal nationals of other countries – did a favour not only to themselves. First of all, by achieving that Latvians rallied, agreed, and continued maintaining friendly relations with sane-minded Russians. Most probably there were no patriotic one-track-minded groups marching and provoking others with slogans like “Latvia for Latvians”! It was a lesson for the official Russia that is just about to enter another crossroad, showing that its hostility is obnoxious and non-productive, aggression never wins, and it is worth changing the repertoire. It was a reassurance for the Baltic neighbours that suffer under similar pressure across the entire square and led by who-knows-which scheme of internal disruption. It was a testimony of the cultural European identity of its own and the entire Baltic region. With the help from Estonia and Lithuania, the political solidarity of the “Three” was endorsed on a parliamentary level once again.

Congratulations!

Translated by Nordtext – Your reliable partner in the world of languages.