Latvia plans to target Russian radio for final shutdown, signaling end of propaganda
Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Russian military personnel (Photo: Getty Images)
Latvia’s National Electronic Media Council (NEPLP) is urging the Saeima to shut down all private Russian-language radio stations, reports Delfi.
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The NEPLP believes the state should not indirectly subsidize commercial Russian-language broadcasting, as these stations use state-owned radio frequencies free of charge.
For this reason, the council has called on Saeima members to adopt a resolution to terminate the operations of all private radio stations broadcasting in Russian.
“Latvia should not fund the operations of private Russian-language radio stations,” said NEPLP chair Ivars Abolins.
He explained that radio frequencies are the most valuable part of the business, and providing them free of charge effectively amounts to state support for that media space.
Proposal over eight years
The regulator’s head noted that more than a month ago, NEPLP submitted an initiative to the parliamentary Committee on Human Rights and Public Affairs to gradually phase out Russian-language radio stations over eight years.
However, according to Abolins, the matter has still not been added to the agenda. He publicly criticized the committee chair, Leila Rasima, for failing to review the initiative.
Logical conclusion to the reforms
Latvia has already carried out a fundamental reform of its education system, switching it entirely to the state language. According to the regulator, maintaining Russian-language commercial radio is therefore illogical and harmful for the country.
The NEPLP head urged lawmakers to view this issue through a state-building lens and to support the ban.
“Latvia has moved to state-funded education exclusively in Latvian, and there is no reason for valuable state resources to be spent supporting Russian-language content in the commercial radio space,” Abolins emphasized.
The debate over the role of Russian in Latvia’s public sphere has been ongoing for several years. Previously, the Saeima raised the VAT on Russian-language printed publications, making their production economically unviable.
Meanwhile, pro-Russia Kazakhstan is also moving away from Russian. The draft of the new constitution proposes revising the wording defining the status of the Russian language.
Separately, Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada approved a resolution amending passport formats, including for international travel. Entries in the passport booklet will no longer be in Russian.
