On September 23, an online meeting took place between the State Language Protection Commissioner of Ukraine, Olena Ivanovska, and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Republic of Latvia, Anatolii Kutsevol.
The discussion focused on an incident in Latvia involving the distribution of fake leaflets allegedly on behalf of the Ukrainian diaspora, calling for the preservation of the Russian language in school education. It was established that this was a provocation aimed at discrediting Ukrainians and undermining trust in Latvia’s language policy.
“This is yet another example of how Russian propaganda attempts to manipulate sensitive issues — language, education, identity — in order to erode trust and sow discord within European Union countries. The use of the image of the Ukrainian diaspora was intended to discredit our citizens and complicate their integration into Latvian society,” emphasized Olena Ivanovska.
The Ambassador of Ukraine to Latvia, Anatolii Kutsevol, confirmed that the situation is under control and that the country’s special services immediately identified the provocation. “No Ukrainian organization supports Russian narratives. On the contrary, our communities in Latvia are actively working to preserve the Ukrainian language and culture,” the diplomat stressed.
The Commissioner and the Ambassador agreed to continue their cooperation to protect the language rights of Ukrainians in Latvia and to counter hybrid threats.