Russians take language test to avoid expulsion from Latvia

The participants, mostly female, read through their notes to make any last-minute revisions. They feared they would be expelled if they failed.

The war in Ukraine has changed the situation. The election campaign of last year was dominated with questions about national identity and concerns over security.

Dimitrijs Trofimovs is the state secretary of the Interior Ministry. He said that the government has now demanded a language exam from the 20,000 Russian passport holders in the country, most of whom are elderly women. The loyalty and commitment to Russia among Russian citizens was a concern.

"I would be deported if I was to leave, as I've lived here for over 40 years," said Valentina, a 70-year-old former English teacher, Riga guide, and Riga native, after her last Latvian lesson at a private school located in the heart of Riga. She is now ready for her own Latvian exam.

"I took my Russian passport in 2011 so that I could easily visit my sick parents who live in Belarus. They are no longer there."

Sevastjanova took the crash course for three months with 11 other women aged between 62 and 74. After independent Latvia emerged in 1991, each applied for Russian passports.

They became eligible for retirement after 55 years, a pension in Russia, and visa free travel to Russia and Belarus.

After Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year, Latvia turned off Russian TV, destroyed a monument to the Second World War and now is working on eliminating education that uses Russian.

Many of Latvia's ethnic Russians who comprise about a quarter (1.9 million) of the population feel that they are losing their position in society where speaking only Russian was acceptable for decades.

Trofimovs stated that Russian citizens who fail the test before the end of this year will have a reasonable amount of time to leave. They could be "forced out" if they don't leave.

He said that the people had "voluntary decided" to not take Latvian citizenship but rather another country's. He said that the test was necessary because the Russian authorities justified the invasion of Ukraine with the need to protect Russian citizens abroad.

Sevastjanova: "I believe that learning Latvian was the right thing to do, but I think this pressure is wrong.

"People live in an environment that is Russian. They only speak Russian. Why not? It's a big diaspora. There are Russian-speaking offices. There are Russian radio, TV, and newspapers. You can easily converse in Russian at shops and markets."

For them to pass the exam, they must be able to speak and understand simple Latvian sentences. "I'd like to have dinner, and I prefer fish to meat," explained Liene Voronenko of Latvia's National Centre of Education.

"I love to learn languages and expected to be studying French when I retired. Now I'm learning Latvian. Oh well, why not?" Sevastjanova said.

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