The Security Police (SP) has so far almost always provided negative conclusions to the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (OCMA) regarding Russian citizens who participated in combat operations in Ukraine and requested asylum in Latvia, the LETA agency found out from the service.
The Security Police, within its competence, has checked certain citizens of Russia who participated in combat operations in Ukraine and requested asylum in Latvia since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The service also examined several dozen citizens of Ukraine who participated in combat operations and requested temporary protection status in Latvia in accordance with the law on support for the civilian population of Ukraine.
The Security Police emphasized that each case is assessed individually — a wide range of information is collected and analyzed to identify risks of intelligence and other activities directed against the national security of Latvia.
Particular attention is paid to citizens of Ukraine from the territories occupied by Russia — Crimea, Luhansk, and Donetsk regions, for which in-depth checks are conducted.
Regarding Russian citizens, the Security Police almost always provided negative conclusions to the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs.
At the same time, there was one exceptional case where the Security Police issued a positive conclusion regarding the possibility of granting asylum to a deserter from the Russian army, not identifying any threat to the national security of Latvia.
As previously reported, the man was wounded in Ukraine and hospitalized in Russia. In 2024, he secretly arrived in Belarus and, having crossed the Daugava River, requested asylum in Latvia. In Latvia, he received refugee status for five years and speaks Latvian at an A1 level.
Currently, the Security Police has completed all checks regarding Russian servicemen who requested asylum in Latvia.
The service continues separate checks of citizens of Ukraine who participated in combat operations on the side of Ukraine and requested temporary protection in Latvia. So far, the Security Police has not identified any threats to national security from such individuals and has not issued negative conclusions regarding them.
To date, the Security Police has not conducted an assessment of citizens of Belarus who participated in combat operations in Ukraine as part of the checks of asylum seekers.
