Former Sputnik editor: welcoming of Latvian pensioners at Russian border was staged propaganda

Former Sputnik Lithuania editor-in-chief Marats Kasems said in an interview for LETA's podcast "Kas tas vispār bija?! Aiz priekškara" that the ceremonial welcoming of Latvian pensioners at the Russian border, which involved Pskov region governor Mikhail Vedernikov, was not spontaneous but a staged propaganda operation.

According to Kasems, people who left Latvia for Russia or Belarus sometimes appeared in Russian propaganda broadcasts within a week or two of their departure. He said two or three pensioners were ceremonially met at the border, personally seated in a car by the governor, and taken to a hotel in Pskov. This event was later used in a segment portraying Russia as caring for "its own" while Latvia allegedly abandons its citizens.

A pre-planned scenario

Kasems said such activities are not spontaneous — it is decided in advance who will greet the people, where they will be taken, and what message they should deliver on camera. He said media figures Aleksejs Stefanovs and Romans Samuļs also used such people, with Stefanovs covering those who moved to Russia and Samuļs those who ended up in Belarus. LETA noted it has not independently verified Kasems' claims about this specific welcoming event.

LETA previously investigated the expulsion from Latvia of 82-year-old Boris Katkov and his reception at the Latvian-Russian border. Analyzing over 1,800 Telegram posts, LETA found that Russian officials, media and social services representatives had arrived at the border in advance, and that identical texts were published almost simultaneously across at least eight channels, including a statement from the Pskov governor released the same day.

Kasems' punishment

Latvia's Prosecutor's Office fined Kasems €15,500 for assisting Russia in activities directed against Latvia; he admitted guilt and paid the fine. From 2017 to 2022, he provided support to Russia while aware it aimed to undermine Latvia's independence and security. The verdict sparked public debate about whether the punishment was adequate, with President Edgars Rinkēvičs voicing concerns over certain prosecutorial decisions, while the Judicial Council said it would review sentencing policy in such cases.