Latvian Russian Union leaders, including MEP Tatjana Ždanoka and party co-chair Miroslavs Mitrofanovs, were summoned by Latvian Security Service over alleged contacts with Russian special services in early February 2024.

Intelligence & EspionageHuman Intelligence (HUMINT)Recruitment of locals

AggressorDefense

Summary

On February 12, 2024, Latvian Russian Union leaders Tatjana Ždanoka and Miroslavs Mitrofanovs were summoned by the Latvian State Security Service (VDD) for questioning regarding possible contacts with Russian special services. Ždanoka confirmed during a press conference that she had been summoned by investigator Buls but denied involvement in criminal proceedings, stating she was called simply to 'talk'. The VDD is investigating potential cooperation between Ždanoka and Russian special services, assessing if there are grounds to classify activity as criminal under Latvian law, specifically relating to assisting a foreign state. The investigation partly relies on published correspondence from Ždanoka involving Russian citizens believed to be employees of the Russian Federal Security Bureau. Interior Minister Rihards Kozlovskis stated the security service has jurisdiction to investigate Ždanoka's activities and would act if criminal offenses were found. The European Parliament has also passed a resolution condemning Russia’s use of such contacts to undermine democracy and calling for thorough examination of these matters by Latvia and the EU.

Classification

Confidence: High

Classified as aggressor event because the article describes possible contacts of Latvian Russian Union leaders with Russian special services, indicating espionage and infiltration-related activities. Classified as defense prep event because Latvian State Security Service has summoned these figures for questioning and is conducting a legal assessment/investigation, representing defensive national security measures.

Source URL

https://eng.lsm.lv/article/politics/politics/12.02.2024-latvian-russian-unions-leaders-summoned-by-security-service.a542532

Open source

Provenance

Publisher: csv-import
Submitted: Feb 1, 2026, 00:14 UTC
Last updated: Nov 9, 2026, 06:58 UTC
Event time: Feb 12, 2024, 07:00 UTC

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

Raw record

{
  "id": "65b92955-ca51-48e4-92ad-6cbe355ad1bf",
  "url": "https://eng.lsm.lv/article/politics/politics/12.02.2024-latvian-russian-unions-leaders-summoned-by-security-service.a542532",
  "source": "csv-import",
  "status": "approved",
  "category": "Intelligence & Espionage",
  "subcategory": "Human Intelligence (HUMINT)",
  "incident_type": "Recruitment of locals",
  "country": "Latvia",
  "source_reliability": "C",
  "info_credibility": "3",
  "tags": [
    "Latvian Russian Union",
    "tatjana zdanoka",
    "State Security Service",
    "Russian special services",
    "VDD investigation",
    "Russian Federal Security Bureau",
    "Human Intelligence",
    "Espionage allegations",
    "Latvia"
  ],
  "nodes": [],
  "countries": [
    "Latvia"
  ],
  "where_text": "Land",
  "headline": null,
  "description": "On February 12, 2024, the Latvian Russian Union's leader and current MEP Tatjana Ždanoka along with party co-chair Miroslavs Mitrofanovs were summoned to the Latvian State Security Service. The summons relate to possible contacts with Russian special services. Ždanoka acknowledged being summoned by the investigator but stated she was not part of any criminal proceedings and was called just to discuss. The Latvian security service (VDD) is assessing information on possible cooperation with Russian special services and activities of the Latvian Russian Union. Investigation stems partly from published emails thought to be correspondence of Ždanoka with Russian citizens allegedly linked to the Russian Federal Security Bureau. Interior Minister said the VDD has competence to assess the legal implications. European Parliament passed a resolution condemning Russia’s attempts to undermine democracy via informers like Ždanoka and stressed the need for thorough investigation by Latvian and EU authorities.",
  "summary_short": "Latvian Russian Union leaders, including MEP Tatjana Ždanoka and party co-chair Miroslavs Mitrofanovs, were summoned by Latvian Security Service over alleged contacts with Russian special services in early February 2024.",
  "summary_extended": "On February 12, 2024, Latvian Russian Union leaders Tatjana Ždanoka and Miroslavs Mitrofanovs were summoned by the Latvian State Security Service (VDD) for questioning regarding possible contacts with Russian special services. Ždanoka confirmed during a press conference that she had been summoned by investigator Buls but denied involvement in criminal proceedings, stating she was called simply to 'talk'. The VDD is investigating potential cooperation between Ždanoka and Russian special services, assessing if there are grounds to classify activity as criminal under Latvian law, specifically relating to assisting a foreign state. The investigation partly relies on published correspondence from Ždanoka involving Russian citizens believed to be employees of the Russian Federal Security Bureau. Interior Minister Rihards Kozlovskis stated the security service has jurisdiction to investigate Ždanoka's activities and would act if criminal offenses were found. The European Parliament has also passed a resolution condemning Russia’s use of such contacts to undermine democracy and calling for thorough examination of these matters by Latvia and the EU.",
  "actor_primary": "Tatjana Ždanoka",
  "target_primary": null,
  "location_text": null,
  "location_region": "",
  "location_coordinates_lat": null,
  "location_coordinates_lon": null,
  "location_precision": "Regional",
  "is_aggressor_signal": true,
  "signal_type": "DEFENSE_PREP_SIGNAL",
  "is_hybrid_war_signal": true,
  "classification_complete": true,
  "hybrid_signal_complete": true,
  "classification_confidence": "High",
  "classification_rationale": "Classified as aggressor event because the article describes possible contacts of Latvian Russian Union leaders with Russian special services, indicating espionage and infiltration-related activities. Classified as defense prep event because Latvian State Security Service has summoned these figures for questioning and is conducting a legal assessment/investigation, representing defensive national security measures.",
  "event_time_utc": "2024-02-12T07:00:00.000Z",
  "end_time_utc": null,
  "event_time_confidence": "pm24h",
  "created_at": "2026-02-01T00:14:35.061Z",
  "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

Feb 12, 2024, 07:00 UTC

Event time confidence

pm24h

Location

Land

Primary actor

Tatjana Ždanoka

Country

Latvia

Countries

Latvia

Tags

Latvian Russian Union, tatjana zdanoka, State Security Service, Russian special services, VDD investigation, Russian Federal Security Bureau, Human Intelligence, Espionage allegations, Latvia

Loading signal...

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