The article reveals the Kremlin's covert operations to influence the 2026 parliamentary elections in Latvia. Vladimir Balobaev, a high-ranking official in the Russian Presidential Administration, manages Baltic states affairs and oversees a network of pro-Kremlin propaganda and intelligence activities in Latvia. Igor Sorokopud, SVR resident and 1st secretary at the Russian embassy in Riga, runs espionage efforts focusing on Latvia's NATO cooperation and military aid to Ukraine. Pro-Russian entities such as the Russian Union of Latvia (RSL), supported by operatives linked to Russian intelligence, aim to spread 'Russian world' ideology and disrupt Latvian domestic politics. These include figures like former MEP Tatiana Zhdanok, embroiled in espionage scandals, and candidates in the Latvian parliament election affiliated with pro-Russian and extremist groups. The article details ongoing espionage, disinformation campaigns, agent recruitment, and Kremlin-backed political interference under diplomatic cover.

The article reveals the Kremlin's covert operations to influence the 2026 parliamentary elections in Latvia. Vladimir Balobaev, a high-ranking official in the Russian Presidential Administration, manages Baltic states affairs and oversees a network of pro-Kremlin propaganda and intelligence activities in Latvia. Igor Sorokopud, SVR resident and 1st secretary at the Russian embassy in Riga, runs espionage efforts focusing on Latvia's NATO cooperation and military aid to Ukraine. Pro-Russian entities such as the Russian Union of Latvia (RSL), supported by operatives linked to Russian intelligence, aim to spread 'Russian world' ideology and disrupt Latvian domestic politics. These include figures like former MEP Tatiana Zhdanok, embroiled in espionage scandals, and candidates in the Latvian parliament election affiliated with pro-Russian and extremist groups. The article details ongoing espionage, disinformation campaigns, agent recruitment, and Kremlin-backed political interference under diplomatic cover.