Latvia
In the spring of 2023, we visited Latvia and experienced both the Restoration of Independence Day in Riga and the 9 May celebration in Daugavpils.
Girls of a dance group are posing in front of the Freedom Square in Riga, before they will perform on Latvia's Regaining of Independence Day
A boy imitates a soldier standing guard at the Freedom Monument in Riga.
Latvians gather in large numbers to lay flowers at the Freedom Monument on May 4th, the Day of the Restoration of Latvian Independence.
Restoration of Independence is celebrated on May 4. In Riga, residents of the city are invited to lay flowers at the Freedom Monument in the city center. Early in the morning, members of a dance group take advantage of the quietness to take photos in traditional Latvian costumes.
Participants in a parade wearing traditional costumes on May 4th in Riga.
In 2023, 29-year-old Vladislava Romanova made a controversial documentary titled "Daugavpils, a City of Opportunities or Impossibilities." In it, she asks her Russian-speaking fellow citizens how they feel about the war and Putin. According to Vladislava, the majority of the residents of Daugavpils support Putin's war.
“For many Latvians, the film is an eye-opener, because they don’t realize how much support for Putin there is in Daugavpils. And they are relieved to see that there are also people living there who fight for the values of Latvian society. I got depressed from the criticism from the Russian-speaking community. They thought I was a traitor, that I was bad, ugly, and stupid, and I was threatened with death.”
When Vladislava speaks Latvian in Daugavpils, she gets a response in Russian. "I always say that learning a language isn't about perfect pronunciation. It's about your attitude, whether you show respect for the country you live in."
The departure hall of Spilve Airport. This airport was once among the largest in the western USSR. The words Rigas Sparni are Latvian and mean: the wings of Riga. The building is now a venue for events and wedding photoshoots.
The cemetery for Soviet soldiers is adorned with fresh flowers at the close of May 9th, the day when the victory of the Red Army in the Second World War is memorated.
On May 9th, residents of Daugavpils visit a monument in the central square to lay bouquets of flowers, honoring the Soviet soldiers who fell in World War II.
A young man lays flowers on a monument remembering the fallen Soviet soldiers in the Second World War.
A flower on the grave of a Soviet soldier who died in World War II.
The 37-year-old Olga Petkevica (left) supports women with a Russian passport who need to take a Latvian language exam to avoid deportation to Russia.
“The stereotype is that Latvians in Daugavpils support Putin and the war, are against the West, and are not loyal to Latvia. For me, it’s clear that Putin is the aggressor, and yes, maybe he’s also a war criminal. Because I talk to many people from Daugavpils, I know that some residents do support Russia. A man asked me: ‘Why don’t you write to Putin?’ I asked him what I should write, and he replied: ‘If you don’t write, I’ll just go to Moscow myself to talk to him.’ When I hear that, I can only smile. These people are so old, so stubborn; let them die with their ideas.”
Olga works from the Daugavpils City Hall. She assists women with information, filling out, and gathering documents.
Olga Petkevica poses in front of a group of women she supports.
A racer waits to enter the track at the Lokomotiv Stadium in Daugavpils.
“Sometimes the stadium is packed with ten thousand people. If you stand out here, you can make good money abroad. Life isn’t easy for everyone here in Daugavpils. Since the war in Ukraine started, prices have gone up, and some of my friends lost their jobs. My salary as a police officer is no longer enough to support my wife and daughter. That’s why I earn extra as a mechanic here at the stadium.”
Sometimes the Lokomotīve Speedway Stadium in Daugavpils is packed with ten thousand people. Those who stand out here can earn quite a lot of money abroad.
In the Lokomotīve Speedway Stadium in Daugavpils four racers are prepare to start their trainig session.
Youngsters play football in front of an Eastern Orthodox church in Daugavpils
A mural in a Riga suburb mocks the Russian portrayal of the war as a "peace mission."
Mārtiņš Hiršs works for the Riga Graduate School of Law. The political scientist and security expert researches the ideologies of the Russian-speaking minority in Latvia.
“For me, it was clear that the Red Army occupied Latvia at the end of World War II, while in the eyes of many Russian speakers, the Soviets liberated them from the Nazis. Despite these conflicting beliefs, I believe both groups generally get along well. There are many examples of mixed marriages. All in all, our society is quite mature.”
The Holy Trinity Orthodox Church, an Eastern Orthodox church in Riga, with the modern Zunda towers in the background
In the Skanste district of Riga, modern high-rise apartments dominate the skyline. During the Soviet era, owning a private garage was a dream for many citizens. They used the garage to repair their own cars or to store home-grown vegetables. Later, garages became popular social gathering spots.
The Zunda Towers (formerly known as the Z-Towers) stand out behind a demolished factory in Riga. Because of the later association of the letter "Z" with the Russian military, the towers were renamed to avoid being associated with the Russian aggression.
A car window reflects a Khrushchevka (Soviet era flat building) in the Purvciems neighborhood in Riga.
A vegetable market in the Purvciems neighborhood in Riga is flanked by old Soviet flat buildings.
Children play in Karosta, a former naval base near the coastal city of Liepaja, commissioned by the Russian Tsar around 1900. During the Soviet era, it was a secret location for the Baltic Fleet. In 1994, about 20,000 mariners and their families left the military enclave, turning it into a ghost town and a refuge for addicts and criminals. The unique atmosphere attracted many artists, and today Karosta is a popular tourist attraction.
Women relax on a beach near the harbour of Ventspils.
A boy on an autoped plays between an exhibition of Soviet propaganda art murals around a former secret base of the Air Defence Forces of the Soviet military.
The 'Great Amber' concert hall in Liepāja.
Youngsters are enjoying a beer in a cafe in Liepāja.
Beach club Red Sun Buffet in Liepāja is a popular place among young Latvians to drink and party.
A man walks from the city centre towards the Maskavas Forštate neighborhood in Riga. In the background the Latvian Academy of Sciences can be seen, a monument of the Stalinist Empire.
