Aleksey Roslikov was previously banned from taking part in Riga City Council sessions remotely from Belarus because it is not a NATO member state

Riga's City Council has revoked the mandate of Councilman Aleksey Roslikov, who had previously been barred from joining sessions remotely from Belarus, where he had moved after facing prosecution for speaking Russian in Latvia's parliament.

Roslikov, the former leader of the For Stability! party, has been accused by Latvia's State Security Service (VDD) of "providing assistance to the aggressor state" and inciting "hatred." The accusations stem from an incident in June 2025, when he, then an MP, spoke Russian in parliament in protest against a declaration calling for combatting the consequences of the so-called "Russification" of Latvia.

He later left parliament and was elected to the Riga City Council while the investigation against him continued.

In early April, a Latvian court ordered his arrest, accusing him of violating pre-trial restrictions after he traveled to Belarus while returning from a meeting with his lawyers in Switzerland.

Roslikov subsequently attempted to continue participating in council sessions remotely, but Riga Mayor Viesturs Kleinbergs barred him from doing so. In a post on X last month, Kleinbergs said that participation in proceedings "from countries that are neither members of the European Union nor NATO is not permitted." He added that the only "legal" way for Roslikov to continue performing his duties would be "from a detention facility in Latvia."

On Thursday, the Riga City Council voted to strip Roslikov of his mandate during an "emergency" session convened by Kleinbergs.

Roslikov maintains he is being persecuted for his political views, particularly his advocacy of "friendship and strategic relations" with Russia. "If I choose to return home, they'll meet me with handcuffs," he told the Belarusian Belta news agency in early April.

Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, Latvia and its fellow Baltic states, Estonia and Lithuania - all former Soviet republics with sizable Russian-speaking minorities - have intensified efforts to counter alleged Russian influence.

Riga has introduced travel restrictions targeting Russian citizens and imposed a mandatory Latvian-language test for long-term residents of Russian origin. Those who failed or refused the exam have been deported.

More than 23% of Latvia's population identified as ethnic Russians as of 2025, while nearly 38% listed Russian as their mother tongue in 2022, according to government data.

Moscow has repeatedly denounced Riga's policies as "blatant discrimination against Russians."

State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin condemned the decision to revoke Roslikov's mandate, saying the Baltic nations had apparently joined not only the EU but also "a gang of Russophobes led by the illiterate [EU top diplomat Kaja] Kallas."

"Even talk about democracy and its fundamental principles have become a thing of the past in the EU," the Russian official said.

(RT.com)