Pro-Kremlin bots are starting to speak Latvian

Cyber & Information WarfareInformation OperationsPropaganda & disinformation campaigns

Aggressor

Summary

Pro-Kremlin bots have begun using Latvian language to better embed Kremlin propaganda and manipulate public opinion, increasing their sophistication to avoid detection.

Until recently, most pro-Kremlin bots operated primarily in Russian, but there is a new trend with bots starting to communicate in Latvian, adding a layer of protection for Kremlin propaganda. These Latvian-speaking bots engage in amplifying pro-Kremlin narratives on social media, targeting Latvian audiences with tailored disinformation and emotional messaging. The trend includes spreading fake news narratives about sanctions, Western governments, and NATO, while sometimes mimicking legitimate Latvian social media behavior to avoid detection. The head of emerging communications at the Latvian Center for Strategic Communication, Jānis Krastiņš, highlights how the change to using Latvian allows bots to blend in with local information space more effectively and evade countermeasures. Analysis by Re:Baltica and the Latvian State Security Service indicates an increase in the number and sophistication of such bots over recent months. This shift complicates detection and requires adaptive counter-strategies by Latvian authorities and media.

Classification

Confidence: High

Clear evidence from Latvian media and security research organizations documents the emergence of pro-Kremlin bots operating in Latvian language, constituting aggressive hybrid warfare through disinformation campaigns in Latvian cyberspace.

Source URL

https://eng.lsm.lv/article/features/media/12.03.2024-pro-kremlin-bots-are-starting-to-speak-latvian.a546380

Open source

Provenance

Publisher: csv-import
Submitted: Feb 1, 2026, 00:14 UTC
Last updated: Nov 9, 2026, 06:58 UTC
Event time: Mar 12, 2024, 00:00 UTC

Published as a hybrid-warfare signal with a public source and reviewer-approved assessment bands. See the methodology for how records are assessed.

Raw record

{
  "id": "02deec95-d868-459a-8448-788951a7e3c0",
  "url": "https://eng.lsm.lv/article/features/media/12.03.2024-pro-kremlin-bots-are-starting-to-speak-latvian.a546380",
  "source": "csv-import",
  "status": "approved",
  "category": "Cyber & Information Warfare",
  "subcategory": "Information Operations",
  "incident_type": "Propaganda & disinformation campaigns",
  "country": "Latvia",
  "source_reliability": "C",
  "info_credibility": "3",
  "tags": [
    "Pro-Kremlin bots",
    "Disinformation",
    "Latvian language propaganda",
    "Kremlin influence",
    "Social media manipulation",
    "Re:Baltica",
    "Latvian Security Service",
    "Hybrid warfare"
  ],
  "nodes": [
    "Node 2: 5th Column"
  ],
  "countries": [
    "Latvia"
  ],
  "where_text": "Cyberspace",
  "headline": "Pro-Kremlin bots are starting to speak Latvian",
  "description": "Pro-Kremlin 'bots' have evolved from mainly using Russian language to engaging with Latvian audiences in fluent Latvian, effectively increasing Kremlin propaganda's reach and resilience in Latvia. This linguistic adaptation adds complexity for Latvian counterintelligence and information defense efforts. The bots disseminate disinformation and emotional messaging supporting Kremlin narratives about geopolitical conflicts, sanctions, and NATO, often mimicking local users. Latvian security experts and researchers from Re:Baltica confirm the trend, urging vigilance as these bots grow in number and sophistication.",
  "summary_short": "Pro-Kremlin bots have begun using Latvian language to better embed Kremlin propaganda and manipulate public opinion, increasing their sophistication to avoid detection.",
  "summary_extended": "Until recently, most pro-Kremlin bots operated primarily in Russian, but there is a new trend with bots starting to communicate in Latvian, adding a layer of protection for Kremlin propaganda. These Latvian-speaking bots engage in amplifying pro-Kremlin narratives on social media, targeting Latvian audiences with tailored disinformation and emotional messaging. The trend includes spreading fake news narratives about sanctions, Western governments, and NATO, while sometimes mimicking legitimate Latvian social media behavior to avoid detection. The head of emerging communications at the Latvian Center for Strategic Communication, Jānis Krastiņš, highlights how the change to using Latvian allows bots to blend in with local information space more effectively and evade countermeasures. Analysis by Re:Baltica and the Latvian State Security Service indicates an increase in the number and sophistication of such bots over recent months. This shift complicates detection and requires adaptive counter-strategies by Latvian authorities and media.",
  "actor_primary": "Pro-Kremlin bots",
  "target_primary": null,
  "location_text": "Latvia",
  "location_region": "",
  "location_coordinates_lat": 56.879635,
  "location_coordinates_lon": 24.603189,
  "location_precision": "Regional",
  "is_aggressor_signal": true,
  "signal_type": "HYBRID_SIGNAL",
  "is_hybrid_war_signal": true,
  "classification_complete": true,
  "hybrid_signal_complete": true,
  "classification_confidence": "High",
  "classification_rationale": "Clear evidence from Latvian media and security research organizations documents the emergence of pro-Kremlin bots operating in Latvian language, constituting aggressive hybrid warfare through disinformation campaigns in Latvian cyberspace.",
  "event_time_utc": "2024-03-12T00:00:00.000Z",
  "end_time_utc": null,
  "event_time_confidence": "pm24h",
  "created_at": "2026-02-01T00:14:22.905Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-09T06:58:21.434Z",
  "reliability_band": "strong",
  "location_precision_band": "regional",
  "time_precision_band": "within_24h",
  "severity_band": "moderate",
  "attribution_confidence_band": "high",
  "attribution_basis": "single_source"
}

Public assessmentReliability: StrongSeverity: ModerateAttribution: HighSingle sourceTime: Same dayLocation: Regional

Source reliability

Info credibility

Event time

Mar 12, 2024, 00:00 UTC

Event time confidence

pm24h

Location

Latvia

Primary actor

Pro-Kremlin bots

Country

Latvia

Countries

Latvia

Tags

Pro-Kremlin bots, Disinformation, Latvian language propaganda, Kremlin influence, Social media manipulation, Re:Baltica, Latvian Security Service, Hybrid warfare

Nodes

Node 2: 5th Column

Loading signal...

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