The government of Latvia has begun removing the Russian language from school curricula across the country. The move is part of a plan to reduce Moscow's influence after the large-scale attack on Ukraine. But as VOA correspondent Henry Wilkins reports in the capital's predominantly Russian-speaking Daugavgriva neighborhood, some educators and security experts say the move will help Kremlin propagandists.
Viktorija Krongorne is deputy principal of Daugavgrivas School in Riga, one of 94 schools in Latvia where all subjects were taught in Russian until 2022, when a new law ordered schools to use only Latvian until 2025.
Ms Krongorne says this decision took effect immediately and caused concern as many children spoke very little Latvian. She says their grades dropped in every subject, from biology to math.
“How do we put it into practice when it is happening 30 years late? How can we make this as difficult as possible for the children?” she says.
She says these changes should have happened in the 1990s, when the Soviet Union collapsed. However, according to her, for the children of Russian-speaking families, the improvement of employment opportunities will be a positive result of this decision.
While the removal of teaching Russian from school curricula is part of a wider effort to remove Russian influence in Latvia following Russia's attack on Ukraine, there are concerns about Kremlin propaganda.
When Russia invaded eastern Ukraine in 2014, it did so under the pretext of rescuing oppressed Russian-speakers.
Mr. Veiko Spolitis is a political science researcher and former deputy defense minister.
“The way Russia exploits the Russian language through the Russian community here should not be allowed. It is unacceptable and we must understand that if we do not prepare properly, it could be our turn,” he says.
Since 2022, Latvia has removed Russian monuments, such as this one commemorating the Soviet liberation of Latvia from the Nazis.
One Russian-speaker, who declined to be identified only as Vasily, said he is concerned.
“In any country, people should still speak the official language. But of course, we should not put pressure on those who do not belong to the local nationality”, he says.
About 20,000 Russian citizens living in Latvia will undergo government-mandated tests for basic knowledge of Latvian. If they fail, they can be asked to leave the country.
Some say the unintended consequences of such a development would contribute to Kremlin theories that Russian speakers are an oppressed minority.
Inta Mierina is the director of the Center for Diaspora and Migration Research at the University of Latvia.
“This decision will not help the security of Latvia much. In general it is not a lot of people, it is only a few thousand that will be affected. Language has served as a propaganda tool for Russia, and they are using it tremendously,” she says.
But in classrooms like this, teachers' main concern is the impact these measures will have on students who are already performing at their best.
