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Latvia's parliament labels Russia a terror sponsor
Summary
A look back at the Latvian vote of 11 August 2022 and a Russian asset-sale ban signed days earlier.
What did Riga's parliament signal on 11 August 2022? The Latvian Parliament declared Russia a state sponsor of terrorism, citing Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The vote came amid a wider hardening of positions between Moscow and its European critics. Six days earlier, on 5 August 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin 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.
The two measures were separate acts by different governments. One was a political declaration tied explicitly to the war in Ukraine; the other was an economic restriction on foreign investors, with a fixed end date of 31 December.
Taken together, they show pressure running in two directions on that August day: a Baltic legislature condemning Russia's conduct, and Russia limiting how foreign owners could leave its key sectors.
