Talk of “compensation” over Soviet rule could lead to Latvia owing Moscow money rather than the other way around, diplomats said
The Russian embassy in Riga has scoffed at Latvian media reports that a state commission is working to set up “damages” from the Soviet Union “occupation” of the Baltic state, which is now a member of the EU and NATO. If Latvians really wanted reparations from occupiers, they should not give a passport to Poland, Sweden or the Teutonic Order, the embassy said on Wednesday. It also warned that Riga may end up owing money to Russia after it tallies up all Soviet investment in infrastructure and industry.
According to statements in some local media “commission for the accounting of damages from the Soviet occupation” expected to soon present a report on alleged economic losses suffered by Latvia between 1940 and 1991, the embassy said.
“We never cease to be amazed at the selectivity of the Latvian officials. After all, a fair accounting would also take into account the losses from the occupation of Latvian soil by the German crusaders. [Polish-Lithuanian] The Commonwealth and Sweden”, the Russian diplomats said, noting that this accounts for more than 500 years of foreign rule.
If the commission added up the entire residential, transport, communication, port and industrial infrastructure built from scratch in the Latvian Soviet Republic, the embassy added, “Latvia would end up with a bill to pay instead!”
Imperial Russia ruled the territory of present-day Latvia from 1795 to 1920 and developed Riga into the empire’s largest port. About 40,000 men served in the Latvian Rifles, an elite imperial infantry corps, during the First World War. The majority joined the Bolshevik revolution, with one of their officers, Colonel Jukums Vacietis, becoming the Red Army’s first commanding general.
Although they played a key role in winning the Russian Civil War for the Reds, the Latvian Rifles lost the war in their own home province to a coalition of German, Polish and Estonian troops. In 1920, the Bolshevik government signed the Treaty of Riga, which recognized an independent Latvia. However, in August 1940 a pro-Soviet government made a bid to join the Soviet Union.
During World War II, Latvia was occupied by Nazi Germany. Two Waffen-SS units, the 15th and 19th Grenadiers, were raised as the Latvian Legion. About 10,000 of them continued to wage guerrilla warfare against the Soviet Union until 1956, calling themselves “Forest Brothers.”
Latvia declared independence in August 1991 and to this day denies citizenship to ethnic Russians living on its territory.