Latvia bans MPs from traveling to Russia, Belarus

Latvian members of parliament are no longer allowed to travel to Russia and Belarus. 

On Thursday, the Latvian parliament passed a law that bars state officials from visiting the two adversary countries, citing national security concerns. In addition to the MPs, the ban extends to a wide range of state officials, including those working with state secrets or critical infrastructure, as well as diplomats and justice system employees. 

People on the list can now travel to Russia or Belarus only to perform official duties or with permission for humanitarian reasons, such as attending a funeral. Violating the ban may be grounds for firing officials. 

“Despite clear recommendations … not to travel to Russia or Belarus, either in the interests of the state or for reasons of personal safety, the number of people going there continues to grow,” said Ainars Latkovskis, chairman of the National Security Commission at the parliament. 

Russian and Belarusian intelligence services actively spy on and attempt to recruit Latvians on the territory of those countries, Latkovskis added. He also noted that Latvia has limited capacity to assist its citizens who encounter trouble while there.

The new law also prohibits Russian and Belarusian citizens from owning critical infrastructure in Latvia. To work on such infrastructure, they will now need clearance from an intelligence agency.

Since launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Moscow has also intensified its hybrid warfare against EU countries, including sabotage targeting critical infrastructure.