Overview

• Latvia considers deportation lawful for Russian citizens who did not meet the Latvian-language exam and residency requirements after the October 13 deadline.
• The country’s migration office told Politico that 841 Russian nationals were formally told to depart after not starting the status procedures.
• Russia’s embassy in Riga said it is premature to speak of immediate mass deportations, citing Latvian data showing only 10 formal deportations from 2022 to 2025.
• The embassy says affected residents can seek temporary residence based on family ties, file administrative or court appeals, or request deferrals for valid humanitarian reasons, and it is assisting those choosing to return to Russia.
• Human rights council member Alexander Brod urged raising the issue at the UN and OSCE and proposed economic measures against Latvia, arguing the rules hit pensioners and other vulnerable people the hardest.