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Latvia's parliament names Russia a terror sponsor
Summary
A look back at the Saeima's vote and a Russian decree on asset sales, both tied to the invasion of Ukraine.
What did a small Baltic parliament's vote say about the regional mood on 11 August 2022? On that date, the Latvian Parliament declared Russia a state sponsor of terrorism, citing its invasion of Ukraine.
The declaration came as the war's economic and political consequences were spreading beyond the battlefield. Six days earlier, on 5 August 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin had signed a decree banning investors from "unfriendly countries" from selling their assets in Russian banks, strategic entities, and energy and commodity projects until 31 December.
Taken together, the two decisions showed pressure building on both sides of the dispute. Riga used a formal parliamentary label to condemn Moscow's actions in Ukraine. Moscow, for its part, restricted the ability of investors from countries it classed as unfriendly to leave their holdings in key sectors of its economy.
The Latvian vote was a political statement tied directly to the invasion, while the Russian decree set a deadline of the end of the year for the restrictions on asset sales.
