A pro-Kremlin narrative interview involving Latvian politician Ainārs Šlesers took place on a Russian-language channel featuring two pro-Russian activists from Riga ('vatņiki'). Šlesers questioned 'who started the war?' but then answered in line with the Kremlin's narrative, implying both Russians and Ukrainians started shooting each other simultaneously, effectively denying clear Russian aggression. An associate of the pro-Russian party Rosļikovs, Viktors, promoted friendliness with Russia to encourage Russian citizens to visit Latvia and spend money, undermining Latvian political cohesion. The interview aimed to reduce votes for coalition parties by presenting Šlesers as more patriotic than these pro-Russian activists. The narrative used classic aggressor-victim equivalence, misleading Latvian voters on the war in Ukraine. The event was publicized on social media and gathered significant attention.

A pro-Kremlin narrative interview involving Latvian politician Ainārs Šlesers took place on a Russian-language channel featuring two pro-Russian activists from Riga ('vatņiki'). Šlesers questioned 'who started the war?' but then answered in line with the Kremlin's narrative, implying both Russians and Ukrainians started shooting each other simultaneously, effectively denying clear Russian aggression. An associate of the pro-Russian party Rosļikovs, Viktors, promoted friendliness with Russia to encourage Russian citizens to visit Latvia and spend money, undermining Latvian political cohesion. The interview aimed to reduce votes for coalition parties by presenting Šlesers as more patriotic than these pro-Russian activists. The narrative used classic aggressor-victim equivalence, misleading Latvian voters on the war in Ukraine. The event was publicized on social media and gathered significant attention.