Ringolds Balodis Receives Reprimand from University of Latvia for Praising Russian Military Symbolism

On June 2, the Academic Ethics Commission of the University of Latvia (UL) reviewed a complaint requesting an evaluation of a professor from the UL Faculty of Law. The investigation revealed that the professor, who is also Riga City Council deputy Ringolds Balodis (from the party LPV), expressed delight on Facebook about a photo showing a man in a Russian Airborne Forces (VDV) uniform with the VDV flag. The commission found a violation of academic ethics norms and issued a reprimand. Balodis has not publicly commented on the matter.