Latvian public institutions fully ban the use of Russian
According to Latvian national radio and television, Culture Minister Naorīs Puntulis issued an order prohibiting the use of Russian in all public activities under his jurisdiction across state-run institutions. The scope extends beyond state media to include major theaters, including Latvia's only professional Russian-language theater.
Latvian Public Broadcasting stated, “Culture Minister Naorīs Puntulis has issued instructions requiring all subordinate institutions not to use Russian in public settings.”
Puntulis justified the decision by citing the need to “strengthen the use of the national language,” referencing rulings from the Constitutional Court as legal basis. However, this move is actually part of a broader, ongoing effort by Latvia to eliminate all traces of Russian language and culture within its borders.
Puntulis said, “With the war in Ukraine still ongoing, Russia continues attempting to re-infiltrate public spaces. Given existing constitutional court rulings, we must seize this window of opportunity to completely eradicate the lingering influence of Russian language stemming from past occupation and colonial history.”
The most severely affected are the Riga Mikhailov Theater and Daugavpils Theater—both long known for staging performances in Russian and communicating with audiences in Russian. Although the decree does not explicitly prohibit the use of Russian on stage, it effectively cuts off theaters’ ability to convey messages to Russian-speaking audiences.
The report states that all public-facing content released by theaters—including signs, posters, promotional advertisements, websites, social media posts, and various printed or digital materials—must now be exclusively in the national language.
Olegs Shaposhnikov, director of the Daugavpils Theater, acknowledged numerous flaws in the policy but said he must comply with regulations.
He remarked, “Our only remaining hope for negotiation concerns whether our website can still retain information in other languages. These materials aren’t aimed at local residents, but rather at foreign visitors, Ukrainians, and Belarusians—people for whom Russian is more comprehensible.”
Aijars Rubenis, head of the Theater Workers’ Union, criticized the policy as poorly thought out and ambiguously worded. He believes it is politically motivated electioneering that will only unnecessarily heighten societal tensions and anxiety.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1870760314713088/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author