Latvia may amend Citizenship Law over case of Russian billionaire Aven

Interior Ministry parliamentary secretary Edvīns Šnore told Saeima's Petitions Committee on Wednesday that if it proves impossible to revoke Russian billionaire Pyotr Aven's Latvian citizenship based on a security services assessment, the government will likely consider amending the Citizenship Law to fully ban dual citizenship with Russia, without the kind of exception currently applying to Aven.

No violations found so far

According to Interior Minister Jānis Dombrava's response to an inquiry from the Progressives party, the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP) reviewed Aven's case documents and found no evidence that he knowingly provided false information or concealed facts when obtaining citizenship. The authority also found no grounds to conclude the citizenship was obtained unlawfully or through criminal activity — a conclusion consistent with an earlier corruption investigation that found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing.

Security review still pending

In 2025, PMLP asked Latvia's state security services to assess whether Aven has provided substantial support to Russia or to those threatening the sovereignty of democratic states. Findings from those services could form the basis for a citizenship revocation decision, though PMLP would still need to verify that stripping Aven's citizenship would not leave him stateless.

Background

Aven obtained Latvian citizenship in 2016. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, he was stripped of the Order of Three Stars and an honorary doctorate from the University of Latvia. In 2023, the Saeima passed amendments allowing citizenship revocation for those who substantially supported Russia's war. Aven and his former business partner Mikhail Fridman have faced Western sanctions as figures close to the Kremlin, though the EU recently removed Fridman from its sanctions list. Latvia is appealing an EU Court of Justice ruling that partially annulled sanctions against both businessmen.