18 years after "Soviet Story": Šnore warns of Russia's future and urges voter turnout

This year marks 18 years since Edvīns Šnore's documentary "Soviet Story" premiered at the European Parliament. In 2008, following the film's release, a crowd burned an effigy of the director outside Latvia's embassy in Moscow, and Kremlin-linked historian Alexander Dyukov reportedly threatened Šnore with death. In a new interview, Šnore recalls that the film warned not only about Soviet-era crimes but also about what could be expected from Vladimir Putin, then Russia's prime minister, given that he praised rather than condemned those crimes.

Šnore says that in 2008 both the European Parliament and Latvia itself were gripped by naivety, with many believing Russia would liberalize after Dmitry Medvedev became president. At the time, he notes, Latvia's president had pushed for visa-free travel with Russia, and a Pushkin monument gifted by Moscow's city government was erected in Riga — a monument that no longer stands there today.

Predictions for Russia

The director says he expects Russia to face severe hardship ahead, including famine, drawing a parallel to historical periods of chaos following Russia's defeat in the Livonian War. He believes Russia will likely lose the war in Ukraine, after which its influence in the Caucasus and Tatarstan could erode further, with parts of Siberia potentially falling under Chinese influence.

Warning for Latvia

Šnore argues that a wounded Russia in this phase is especially dangerous for its neighbors, since ending the war in Ukraine without victory would effectively mean the end of Putin's rule — raising the risk that he could seek a victory elsewhere, possibly in the Baltic states. He recalls past instances of Russia-aligned politicians being elected to Latvia's parliament and expresses concern about pro-Russian forces in the upcoming election. Šnore calls for stronger action by security services and urges voters to back Latvian parties capable of clearing the 5% threshold on October 3, specifically naming the National Alliance, on whose list he is himself running in the Zemgale region.