Puntulis: Russian language as a tool for division must be made ineffective

Culture Minister Nauris Puntulis (National Alliance) stated that Russia has for decades used language not as a means of communication but as a tool of influence and societal division, and Latvia's duty is to render this mechanism ineffective. He stressed that culture is not threatened; the Mikhail Chekhov Riga Russian Theatre can continue producing performances in Russian, preserving its artistic identity. However, public communication by state institutions must be in Latvian to create a unified civic space.

Puntulis noted that Russia's aggression has fundamentally changed the European security environment, and strengthening the state language is not directed against any part of society but is responsible state action for cohesion and resilience. He distinguishes between public communication, where Latvian unites people, and the cultural sphere, where creative freedom remains.

The management of the Mikhail Chekhov Riga Russian Theatre, including director Dana Bjorka, sent an open letter opposing the minister’s order. The theatre argues that the order contradicts several fundamental documents, including the 2022 Cabinet of Ministers order on state participation in the theatre, signed by then-Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš and Puntulis himself. They also refer to the Constitutional Court’s March 30, 2026 ruling, which tasked the Saeima with balancing Latvian language, minority rights, and national security by May 1, 2027.

The theatre leadership considers the order hasty and possibly electioneering, saying that a complete ban on Russian in public communication would paralyze information flow to Russian-speaking tourists and Ukrainian refugees who attend performances for free, negatively impacting the theatre’s finances. The theatre asserts it already complies with the State Language Law and does not address the public solely in Russian.

The order requires the Ministry of Culture and its institutions to eliminate Russian from public communication—including international events, strategies, advertisements, and websites—by July 30. Artistic work remains unaffected if the original is in Russian.