Answers by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova to questions of Spetskor (Special Correspondent) project by VGTRK
Questions: The Balts have always been anti-Russian, even when they were part of the Soviet Union. Their Russophobia was activated after the 2014 Maidan. In 2018, it came to black lists of Russians who pose a threat to national security. Their criminal prosecution began. The Russian Federation speaks out about this. Does the international community pay attention to this, including human rights organisations?
Maria Zakharova: You are well aware that Russophobia is most strongly evident in the Baltic states where segregation approaches to representatives of ethnic minorities, especially Russians, previously occurred. The harassment is not only not suppressed by the leadership of these states, but, to the contrary, is justified, encouraged and even stimulated by authorities.
The Balts have created artificial restrictions for human contacts, demonstrated their malicious activities to push through anti-Russia initiatives in the EU and NATO, including the issue of providing military and political support to the Kiev regime.
Most high-profile cases of discrimination and prejudice against Russian citizens have been recorded in Latvia. In fact, since 2022, this country’s authorities have initiated migration repressions against Russian citizens, including implementation of the discrimination law, On Immigration. Here is the most graphic example of this: in mid-2024, Boris Katkov, an 82-year-old retired Russian veteran and chairman of the Latvia-Russia Cooperation Association Board, was expelled from the republic under a far-fetched pretext of a threat to national security with an indefinite ban on return. Other expulsions with inhumane actions ensued.
In the beginning of last March, Latvia’s Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs published information on its implementation of a discriminatory legislation demanding that Russian citizens, residing in the republic, renew their residence permit within limited deadlines by taking the Latvian language exam and filling out Russophobic questionnaires. Departure orders have already been issued to citizens who have not passed the procedure to re-issue a residence permit, some of the orders have even been enforced.
Other Baltic states have adopted Latvia's vicious practices of using a visa leverage or manipulating citizenship to expel unwanted Russian citizens. For instance, in 2024, Estonian authorities refused to extend a temporary residence permit for Bishop Eugene of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan of Tallinn and All Estonia. No specific facts of his allegedly malicious activity have been cited.
Lithuania has followed suit. An updated version of the law, On Citizenship, has been in effect in the country since June 2023. Under the new provisions, citizenship granted by way of exception to an individual, who, among other things, might be a citizen of another country, can be terminated. The reasons for this can be a threat to national security and support of Russia’s aggression. According to available information, Lithuanian national security authorities have been checking around 800 individuals, who were granted Lithuanian passports by way of exception since November 2023. That means that several hundred individuals are in the risk zone.
We would like to stress that Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn systematically put pressure on Russia citizens – including popular artists who openly express their civic stance in support of the Russian leadership. The Balts impose travel bans under the pretext of support or participation in an activity of a foreign state violating principles and standards of international law.
And oftentimes things go beyond this. The Baltic police regimes launched dozens of fabricated criminal proceedings against our Russian speaking compatriots and Russian citizens using pseudo-legal tools. Local justice is something that cannot be relied on since it is under a total control of authorities and became punitive in the truest and fullest sense of the word. Incidentally, they apply their own Baltic and overseas interpretations of international legal standards adapted to opportunistic political demands of the ruling Russophobic elites.
For our part, we regularly raise issues of violent repressions against the Russian and Russian-speaking population by Latvian, Lithuanian and Estonian authorities at the UN human rights venues (in New York and Geneva) and the OSCE, we submit the respective appeals to relevant monitoring and executive structures. We urge them to assess unlawful actions by the Baltic States’ authorities, particularly, demolition of Soviet monuments and memorials to Nazi victims, mockery of military pensioners, limitation of the right to study in the Russian language, which is native for a vast number of residents of the Baltic states, violation of the right to a freedom of conscience and prosecution of those who do not support these criminal policies.
Unfortunately, we do not get a due feedback: in general, these are either meaningless run-around replies or no responses at all. This has long ceased to surprise in view of the politicised bias in the performance of the UN and OSCE structures. We consider this attitude to be actual protection of repressive police regimes of Lativa, Lithuania and Estonia. Nevertheless, we continue to act in a pressing mode on this track.
The disturbing situation with regard to human rights and ethnic minorities in the Baltic States is regularly highlighted in the Ministry’s annual thematic reports. Particularly, the report, Violations of the Rights of Russian Citizens and Fellow Citizens in Foreign Countries, (the last one was published in December 2024), as well as in the first joint report by the foreign ministries of Russia and Belarus, entitled Human Rights Situation in Certain Countries, released in June 2024.
Question: We are aware that Russians residing in the Baltic countries are openly harassed. Is there a large proportion of them who want to obtain Russian citizenship and relocate to our country? How complicated is the procedure for citizens of EU member states to obtain Russian citizenship? Is there a simplified system for former citizens of the Soviet Union?
Maria Zakharova: The State Programme to Assist Voluntary Resettlement to the Russian Federation of Compatriots Living Abroad (hereinafter — the State Programme) is currently in effect. In particular, its participants — foreign nationals or stateless persons — can go through a simplified procedure to apply for Russian citizenship. According to available data, as of March 25, the consular departments of Russian embassies in Estonia and Lithuania registered 55 and 2 applications for the State Programme, respectively. As for Latvia, citizens apply directly to a representative office of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs in Riga.
The procedure for acquiring Russian citizenship is regulated by Federal Law No. 138-FZ dated April 28, 2023 On Citizenship of the Russian Federation (hereinafter — the Federal Law). The general condition for Russian citizenship is that the applicant resides in the Russian Federation.
Part 1 of Article 15 of the Federal Law establishes general requirements for adult and capable persons applying for Russian citizenship, namely:
- permanent living in the Russian Federation with a residence permit for five years;
- proficiency in the Russian language;
- knowledge of Russia’s history and basics of the legislation of the Russian Federation.
Apart from this, Article 16 of the Federal Law provides for a streamlined procedure to acquire Russian citizenship (without complying with the above requirements) for a number of categories of individuals who have moved to live in the Russian Federation. For example, former citizens of the USSR have the right to apply for Russian citizenship if they were born or permanently resided in the territory of the RSFSR or are stateless persons.
The State Programme to assist voluntary resettlement to the Russian Federation of compatriots living abroad applies to, among other things, compatriots from unfriendly countries. Participants in the State Programme have the right to acquire citizenship under a simplified procedure after moving to Russia. It is also worth noting that Russian migration policy is constantly being improved.
Following the launch of the State programme, 1,201,750 participants and their family members moved to the Russian Federation from 2007 to 2025 and have been registered with territorial authorities of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. In 2024, there were 31,695 participants in the State Programme and their family members who moved to Russia.
According to statistics, most immigrants are citizens of Central Asian states. However, there is a steady upward trend in the number of applications from representatives of the community living in the Baltic countries, largely due to an introduction of the institution of repatriation from January 1, 2024, which allows choosing any region to live in the Russian Federation with reimbursement of moving expenses, provision of a monthly allowance until Russian citizenship is obtained, and subsequent payment of housing subsidies.
According to the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, 1,787 people belonging to this category of immigrants moved to our country in 2024, including those from the three Baltic states (Latvia - 574 people, Lithuania - 111 people, Estonia - 111 people).
The applicants cite deteriorating socioeconomic conditions in their country of residence, record inflation and high taxes as the main reasons for their relocation. They are particularly concerned about Russophobia in the public space and instances of discrimination against Russian-speaking population at the everyday-life level. In addition, the overwhelming majority of immigrants do not agree with the imposition of ‘European values’ to the detriment of traditional social and family principles. For many of them, the major reasons are reunification with their relatives and getting education in Russia.
Question: After the beginning of the Special Military Operation, many Russophobes settled in the Baltics. They have long lived and continued their anti-Russian activities on Western money. Today, this flow has been throttled. Do you think they will be able to find their place in Russia if they choose to come back?
Maria Zakharova: The leadership of our country has repeatedly stressed that Russia is a free country and one can choose any place of residence. However, the issue is the person’s behaviour and actions. If these actions violated the laws currently in force in Russia, then, everyone must naturally be held accountable for this, wherever they may be, here or abroad.
