The State Guard Service of Latvia (VDD) responded to information about the possible participation of Latvian citizens in the Artek children's camp located in the Russian-occupied territory of Crimea. It is currently unknown whether Latvian children participated in this camp. This is reported by the portal of the Latvian radio LSM.lv, according to UNN.
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Kremlin propaganda outlets report that children from 60 countries, including Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, have arrived at the Artek camp. “Artek has a long history dating back to Soviet times, when it was a prestigious pioneer camp opened in 1925 in the city of Gurzuf on the Black Sea.
Latvia is monitoring the situation but cannot confirm the participation of Latvian children in the camp. The Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) also reported that it had not received information that any Latvian child had gone to Artek.
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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reminds that Latvia does not recognize the annexation of Crimea by Russia and urges not to travel to the occupied territories of Ukraine, including Crimea. Illegal crossing of the Ukrainian border may result in legal liability.
Ruta Silinia, a representative of the Ombudsman's Office, noted that the state urged not to visit these places, but the final decision is up to the parents.
“Parents can do anything that is not prohibited by law. There are currently no laws that prohibit them or their children from traveling to these territories,” Silinya said.
Jānis Sarts, Director of the NATO Stratcom Center of Excellence for Strategic Communications, emphasized that it is important to verify the veracity of information, as the Kremlin seeks to attract young people from Latvia to participate in its national-patriotic events. He also noted that participation in such camps could lead to indoctrination of young people.
The VDD warns of high risks of recruitment and intelligence when visiting Russia and its occupied territories. Russian and Belarusian intelligence services are becoming more aggressive in their activities, trying to obtain intelligence on NATO and EU members, including Latvia.
Latvian state institutions have limited opportunities to help their citizens who find themselves in difficulty in Russia or in the territories under its control. Russia has long been developing measures to influence young Russians living abroad, using disinformation and propaganda to shape future promoters of Russian interests in other countries.