History

A Piece of Moscow in Latvia: a Deeper Look at the Russian Embassy in Riga

A Piece of Moscow in Latvia: a Deeper Look at the Russian Embassy in Riga

By Grace Zagoria in Security

August 28, 2025

On the corner of Ukrainian Independence Street in Riga – Ukrainas Neatkarības iela in Latvian – sits a building bathed in fading pastels, adorned with barbed wire and barred windows. This is the Russian Embassy to Latvia, guarded around the clock by the Latvian State Police and cordoned off with black rope that passersby are careful not to cross. Sticking out from seemingly every corner of the building’s edifice are security cameras, trained on anyone who dares to glance in the embassy’s vicinity.

Memory as a Defense Mechanism: How Historical Sentiments Shape Latvia’s Current Security and Defense Policy

Memory as a Defense Mechanism: How Historical Sentiments Shape Latvia’s Current Security and Defense Policy

By Vienne Abrahamian in Security

August 27, 2025

Introduction Latvia is a country just short of two million people located in between the two other Baltic states, Estonia and Lithuania. It is a relatively small country with a geographical size of 64,594 square kilometers. From the outside looking in, Latvia may appear as a small, peripheral state on Europe’s northeastern edge; yet beneath its modest size lies a nation shaped by profound historical trauma, cultural resilience, and a deeply layered political identity.

Russia and the Baltics Since the Restoration of Independence

Russia and the Baltics Since the Restoration of Independence

By Lillian Mullins in Security

August 18, 2025

On May 4, 1990, the Republic of Latvia declared its independence from the Soviet Union, ending fifty years of occupation that began in 1940. Similarly, Lithuania and Estonia celebrated the 35th anniversary of their independence restoration in 2025 - Lithuania on March 11 and Estonia on March 30. As the Baltic States mark over three decades of sovereignty following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, it becomes essential to analyze their evolving relationship with the Russian Federation, the Soviet Union’s successor state.

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