Expert: Russia's sabotage risks in Latvia rising, but no direct war threat
Riga Stradiņš University lecturer Kristaps Zaļais said on TV24's "Preses klubs" that sabotage risks in Latvia are growing, though there is currently no direct threat of war, adding that a full sense of safety is not warranted.
The security situation in the region remains complicated, though there is currently no direct war threat to Latvia, said Kristaps Zaļais, a lecturer at Riga Stradiņš University and a member of the "Progresīvie" party, during TV24's program "Preses klubs".
Zaļais noted a discrepancy between how Latvia's defense minister and various security experts assess the situation. In his view, sabotage risks have not disappeared and are likely increasing.
Discussing Russia's actions in the war against Ukraine, Zaļais argued that the war is currently going poorly for Moscow, prompting it to try to unsettle and unnerve countries that support Ukraine, using intimidation as one of its tools of influence.
Based on publicly available information, the expert said it is difficult to imagine Russia launching a conventional war against a NATO member state at this time. However, he stressed this does not mean residents should feel entirely safe — some caution remains necessary under current circumstances, since the notion of complete calm is too broad a concept for the present moment.
As an example, Zaļais pointed to recent events near Latvia's border, where airspace monitoring and additional forces had to be deployed — a situation he said should not be considered routine. He noted that an air raid alarm was sounded again in Krāslava just the previous night, expressing concern that such occurrences could become a new normal.
Despite these risks, Zaļais clearly stated that he currently sees no direct threat of war against Latvia.
