Political posts and news in Security that mention Apvienotais saraksts, from monitored Latvian public sources.
The Riga Regional Court has also found Ilmārs Rimšēvičs and Māris Martinsons guilty of bribery offenses. The second instance court left the first instance court's convicting judgment in the criminal case unchanged. Former Latvian central bank president Rimšēvičs had been sentenced to six years in prison, and businessman Martinsons to five. The court also turned against the accused's property. 🖥️ https://t.co/vJUdl4VhVX
"I hate the pre-election period": Kulbergs says politicians talk a lot but do little.
Kulbergs announces that the illegal migration combat operation 'Vilkatis' has been extended until October.
@kasparsskincs @janisdombrava @AndrisKulbergs Since when are accidents a minister-level issue? Dozens every day.
From@kasparsskincsHowever, I will use the situation and raise this topic again. Where should the interior minister react and solve problems at the management level in the context of such events. But 3 weeks have passed and there is silence. Meanwhile, Interior Minister @janisdombrava: - “Indians are coming” @AndrisKulbergs was not mistaken https://t.co/g8FyB3Pfwd
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@AtlasDynam1cs @Jauna_Vienotiba @Apvienotais_ @AndrisKulbergs I am not the only one who has deceived you all, I am no reed in the wind here 💪💪
From@AtlasDynam1csI briefly forgot how treacherous Latvians are and how they can be bought for 'kopecks'. @Jauna_Vienotiba = @Apvienotais_, the same JV rot with the same stench. Huge disappointment @AndrisKulbergs - nothing more than Šķēle/Šlesers' pocket prime minister, who is danced around by the same old Mangaņa coalition under the leadership of @edgarsrinkevics. Andri, you are selling what you have no right to - 🇱🇻 the Latvian state, the future of Latvians, and our security. This will come back to you politically hard! I will definitely also lend my hand.
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The coalition has never been so united, cohesive, strong https://t.co/okXlRsbTtG
From@RihardsKolsThe Prime Minister complains that approvals are missing. Whose duty is it, if not the Prime Minister's, to ensure that the government's work moves forward? The Prime Minister is not a clerk whose job is to note that a paper is missing from some file. The Prime Minister leads the government, convenes ministers, resolves disagreements and achieves decisions. The government declaration states in black and white: restrict the issuing of long-term visas and residence permits, set the permissible number of third-country nationals and close schemes for legalising economic immigrants. Mr Prime Minister, you did not stop the 'theatre'. You yourself stalled the implementation of your own government declaration. When Interior Minister @janisdombrava has submitted concrete proposals, the Prime Minister does not organise their review and make a decision, but publicly announces that approvals are missing, and calls the work done a 'theatrical fight' and 'dull voter fishing'. Open tunnels on the border. Raids are taking place. Immigration control is being stepped up. Quotas for third-country nationals are being prepared, stricter requirements for foreign students and universities, control over employment intermediaries and liability for residence rule violations. Where exactly is the theatre here? When the Prime Minister and the Interior Minister toured the border and stood in front of cameras, that was obviously statesmanship. When uncomfortable decisions have to be made and powerful economic interests opposed, it suddenly becomes 'hysteria'. That's where the story about procedure ends. In one hand @AndrisKulbergs holds the government declaration promising to restrict the issuing of long-term visas and residence permits. In the other hand he holds proposals to keep investor temporary residence permits, the so-called 'golden visas'. The immigration restriction plan still needs at least 14 more approvals. The 'golden visa' idea apparently only needs an investment fund brochure and promises of rich sheikhs. Latvia does not need an immigration policy in which security solutions can be postponed while residence permits can again be turned into a commodity. Latvia does not need a system in which the interests of universities, labour intermediaries and various investment schemes matter more than the state's ability to control who enters Latvia, why they stay here and what they do here. If the Prime Minister objects to specific points of the plan, he should simply say so. If corrections are needed, they should be made. If ministries cannot agree, the Prime Minister should sit them at one table and reach a decision. That is exactly what the Prime Minister is paid for. Not for videos in which he publicly scolds his government's ministers and explains to the public why the government cannot do its own job. Restricting immigration is not theatre. The theatre begins when the Prime Minister promises one thing, brakes another and pushes a third.
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Sharp conflict in coalition over immigration – NA demands Kulberg to explain
The only country where immigrants built prosperity was the USA. Europeans built a country to live in. The same, Danish data shows that migration worsens welfare and is an additional burden on the budget. Enough telling that it will be different for us. Not even mentioning the violence and crime that follow migrants.
From@EStalbergsAs Prime Minister Kulbergs would say, the report is sh…, because I would even say anti-state. Why? Please - Indeed, the report provides a well-founded assessment of the load on state institutions and security risks at the EU external border, however the proposed restrictive framework contains significant economic and legal risks for Latvia's development! The introduction of general quantitative quotas and disproportionate burdens on study and work migration reduce the country's competitiveness, slow economic growth and contradict European Union law. Migration management consistent with the long-term interests of the national economy requires abandoning absolute numerical caps, replacing them with flexible, sector-demand-based monitoring and a 'green corridor' system for trusted employers. Upon receiving a temporary residence permit, this person will never receive a permanent residence permit, unless they have passed the state language exam and have lived in the country for at least 5 years continuously without violating the law. In higher education, it is essential to preserve university autonomy and export capacity, ensuring targeted quality supervision rather than introducing comprehensive proportion restrictions. To reduce the administrative burden in public administration, priority should be given to digital integration of institutions and automatic data exchange, avoiding resource-intensive in-person registration procedures. State security interests and economic development must work in synergy, ensuring sustainable and internationally competitive national growth, not the proposed 'Dombrava' variant – returning to moss village laws. That is my opinion.
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Regional court upholds prison sentences for Rimšēvičs and Martinsons https://t.co/dwVIHuiHRM
The Riga Regional Court has upheld the first-instance court judgment, by which former Bank of Latvia president Ilmārs Rimšēvičs and construction contractor Māris Martinsons were sentenced to prison for bribery crimes.
The regional court did not overturn the first-instance conviction in the Rimšēvičs and Martinsons bribery case.
@ArtursButans @janisdombrava @AndrisKulbergs @VL_TBLNNK Can we arrange that for each crime committed by a migrant, 1/10 of a similar sentence is imposed on @AndrisKulbergs ?
From@ArtursButansIn debates, everyone speaks bravely against immigration, but when @janisdombrava advances an immigration restriction plan, @AndrisKulbergs in the government, then no one rushes to support it and the issue has to be postponed. The government action plan must be fulfilled - @VL_TBLNNK will bring this issue up again after a week.
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(2/2)🧵 Wait, stop. Do you consider us 'retards'? 107 thousand is OK, but less than 200 TUA per year, which is 0.15%, is a national security risk? The fact that we are full of poor 'blacks' about whom nobody in this country knows when they have to leave, when they arrived, etc. — that of course is different. But checking 150 people — that is a national security risk? Really? But we don't end there. Like in a good French restaurant, the best is always reserved for dessert. ☝🏻For health, benefits and legal support of third-country nationals we currently spend 100 million per year!!! (See image.) Wait, that can't be — we are against money that rich people want to invest here (not from Russia or Belarus), but at the same time we spend 100 million a year on existing third-country nationals? That can't be, right? But it can. It can be… As they say, away with golden visas and rich people, we stick with the poor and 'boltists'... And today Siliņa in all seriousness asked this question to Smiltēns…😳
From@Chapis(1/2)🧵 Pre-election agitation time is an interesting time, and I was greatly surprised when Mrs. Siliņa today in the debate asked Mr. Smiltēns a question about "golden visas". Which in essence is a glorified name for the temporary residence permit that has already been operating in one way or another since 2011. 🤦♂️🤦♂️ And here I would like to touch a bit on this public debate, and I think it's worth looking at this issue in essence. Let's start with what the opponents say. Both Edvīns Šnore and deputy Agnese Krasta, and even Edvīns Inkēns have been very critical about this issue in public space. In their opinion, it was a very unsuccessful program that is a threat to Latvia's security and society as a whole. Okay. Let's look at the data. A brief history. The TUA (temporary residence permit) started operating on 1 July 2010. Until Russia's attack on Ukraine (24 February 2022), the investor TUA program had attracted approximately 1.59 billion euros in Latvia. Methodologies vary, but conservatively you can multiply this number by 1.5 — direct taxes, services, etc., i.e., what additionally came into the economy. Most of the money came in 2010–2014 while the threshold for real estate was low. After the increase in requirements in 2014 (up to €250,000 for property) the flow dropped dramatically. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the program has practically completely stopped (completely for Russian and Belarusian citizens). And good that — I have no claims against that. If we talk about recent years, I will quote a letter from the Latvian Real Estate Transactions Association addressed to the president: "We draw your attention that the current Immigration Law provides the possibility for citizens of third countries (except Russian and Belarusian citizens) to receive a residence permit based on the acquisition of real estate. In our opinion, this contributes to the real estate market, as transactions are made in the expensive property segment (from €250,000). From each transaction a state fee is also paid in the land register (1.5% of €250,000 is €3,750). Additionally, each investor pays 5% of the purchase price for granting the residence right, which is at least €12,500. Such foreign investments in real estate also create additional demand for services of local companies, namely, various engineers, construction, design, interior design, carpentry, metalworking and other craftsmen's work, as well as increase demand for construction materials, interior and locally produced goods." "…in order to receive the first temporary residence permit, in 2025 49 payments were made with a total amount of €750,054.25 (for transactions of approximately €15 million). For receiving repeated temporary residence permits for previously purchased real estate or for registering them (as of 12 October 2025 for 2025) within the same program, 89 payments were made with a total amount of €375,000." So 49 new applications and 89 extensions!!! In context, that's about 1/2 of the number of apartments sold in a Bonava project in Pierīga. There are also opponents who believe that this will affect apartment prices, i.e., apartments will become more expensive and less accessible to local buyers. Currently Riga has by far the lowest real estate prices in the Baltics. And when I say "by far", that's an understatement. In the secondary market in Riga's micro-districts, prices are often about 2–2.5 times lower than in Vilnius and about half lower than in Tallinn. On the other hand, according to Global Property Guide 2026 data. Tallinn ~3,100, Vilnius ~3,060, Riga ~2,650.. Obviously, there is absolutely zero correlation with TUA, but a huge connection with Vilnius's fintech ecosystem and general economic activity in the capitals of our neighboring countries. I won't even mention the premium segment, it is said that in Vilnius it has already reached ~€7,000 per square meter. But let's continue about security. Personally, I follow the Donbrava investigative commission very actively. According to his words (see image), ~107 thousand third-country citizens currently reside in Latvia.
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(1/2)🧵 Pre-election agitation time is an interesting time, and I was greatly surprised when Mrs. Siliņa today in the debate asked Mr. Smiltēns a question about "golden visas". Which in essence is a glorified name for the temporary residence permit that has already been operating in one way or another since 2011. 🤦♂️🤦♂️ And here I would like to touch a bit on this public debate, and I think it's worth looking at this issue in essence. Let's start with what the opponents say. Both Edvīns Šnore and deputy Agnese Krasta, and even Edvīns Inkēns have been very critical about this issue in public space. In their opinion, it was a very unsuccessful program that is a threat to Latvia's security and society as a whole. Okay. Let's look at the data. A brief history. The TUA (temporary residence permit) started operating on 1 July 2010. Until Russia's attack on Ukraine (24 February 2022), the investor TUA program had attracted approximately 1.59 billion euros in Latvia. Methodologies vary, but conservatively you can multiply this number by 1.5 — direct taxes, services, etc., i.e., what additionally came into the economy. Most of the money came in 2010–2014 while the threshold for real estate was low. After the increase in requirements in 2014 (up to €250,000 for property) the flow dropped dramatically. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the program has practically completely stopped (completely for Russian and Belarusian citizens). And good that — I have no claims against that. If we talk about recent years, I will quote a letter from the Latvian Real Estate Transactions Association addressed to the president: "We draw your attention that the current Immigration Law provides the possibility for citizens of third countries (except Russian and Belarusian citizens) to receive a residence permit based on the acquisition of real estate. In our opinion, this contributes to the real estate market, as transactions are made in the expensive property segment (from €250,000). From each transaction a state fee is also paid in the land register (1.5% of €250,000 is €3,750). Additionally, each investor pays 5% of the purchase price for granting the residence right, which is at least €12,500. Such foreign investments in real estate also create additional demand for services of local companies, namely, various engineers, construction, design, interior design, carpentry, metalworking and other craftsmen's work, as well as increase demand for construction materials, interior and locally produced goods." "…in order to receive the first temporary residence permit, in 2025 49 payments were made with a total amount of €750,054.25 (for transactions of approximately €15 million). For receiving repeated temporary residence permits for previously purchased real estate or for registering them (as of 12 October 2025 for 2025) within the same program, 89 payments were made with a total amount of €375,000." So 49 new applications and 89 extensions!!! In context, that's about 1/2 of the number of apartments sold in a Bonava project in Pierīga. There are also opponents who believe that this will affect apartment prices, i.e., apartments will become more expensive and less accessible to local buyers. Currently Riga has by far the lowest real estate prices in the Baltics. And when I say "by far", that's an understatement. In the secondary market in Riga's micro-districts, prices are often about 2–2.5 times lower than in Vilnius and about half lower than in Tallinn. On the other hand, according to Global Property Guide 2026 data. Tallinn ~3,100, Vilnius ~3,060, Riga ~2,650.. Obviously, there is absolutely zero correlation with TUA, but a huge connection with Vilnius's fintech ecosystem and general economic activity in the capitals of our neighboring countries. I won't even mention the premium segment, it is said that in Vilnius it has already reached ~€7,000 per square meter. But let's continue about security. Personally, I follow the Donbrava investigative commission very actively. According to his words (see image), ~107 thousand third-country citizens currently reside in Latvia.
From@bizenajs_V2I would like to ask @AndrisKulbergs to devote less than an hour of his precious time and to get acquainted with, for example, Madona municipality's civil defense plan. Maybe he can give an assessment of whether that is what should be in that plan. Because I found conditionally useful information there in the last 5-7 pages. https://t.co/Fouv5C1fdW
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The new Liepāja prison has been built in accordance with Latvian and international requirements, and its purpose is not only to keep people behind closed doors but to ensure safe, lawful, and resocialization-oriented execution of sentences, comments the Minister of Justice Edvards Smiltēns (AS) regarding the prisoners' hunger strike. https://t.co/GJ7QDO1CFf
From@ltvzinasThe Liepāja prison is the most modern and safest in the Baltic states. Officials describe it as a new prison. However, several inmates transferred there from Jelgava have complaints, and they have started a hunger strike. The main objections are that walking opportunities are limited and ventilation is poor. The prison administration denies this. 🖥️ https://t.co/jM17tYLWbr
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From@EdvardsSmiltensAbout the Liepāja prison 'hunger strike'! Prisoner complaints are being checked, their rights are respected, but the public also needs to know and understand the full picture. On Monday, seven convicts refused the food provided by Liepāja prison. On Friday, there were four. At the same time, these people shop at the prison store and consume food they have purchased themselves. So this is not about dozens of people actually starving, but about refusing the food offered by the prison. Walks in the fresh air are provided in accordance with regulations – not less than one hour per day. Air quality in cells is ensured by mechanical ventilation. The system meets the requirements, maintenance is performed, and no defects have been found. Prisoners' objections are actually about the fact that cell windows cannot be opened. That is not a construction error, but a deliberate security solution to prevent unauthorized communication between cells, the circulation of prohibited items, and other manifestations of prison subculture. The new Liepāja prison is built according to Latvian and international requirements. Its purpose is not just to keep people behind closed doors, but to ensure a safe, lawful and resocialization-oriented execution of sentences. Resistance to the new order was predictable. Some prisoners are accustomed to the old prison environment and its informal rules. Refusing prison food, resocialization measures, or other forms of collective protest are one way to try to achieve the restoration of the old order. The prison administration continues a dialogue with prisoners and checks each specific complaint. If any deficiency is found, it will be addressed. However, the state will not back down from security requirements and the goal of reducing the influence of prison subculture. The human dignity and rights of prisoners must be respected. At the same time, lawful execution of sentences and public safety are not negotiable.
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From@AstridamainsAstrida @AndrisKulbergs @katrinailjinska The state allows: Meroni with his wife - taken-over companies. Underneath there are schemes of schemes. https://t.co/tBQjXVuuiy
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Yesterday we visited the border area - Terehova (border with Russia) and Pāternieki (with Belarus). While politically there are discussions about what and where can/cannot be transported in the EU ecosystem, in everyday life there is simply work that directly concerns the Ministry of Finance. Customs is a structural unit of VID, but VID itself is under the supervision of the Finance Ministry. The most pressing issue - for example, customs officers' salaries, which compete with border guards. We must try to resolve differences so as to reduce unproductive inter-agency competition. From the eastern side come goods such as Temu and Aliexpress, which stay a bit in Latvia, but most goes further to Europe. Can we facilitate customs clearance more in Latvia to ensure more taxes for the budget? A very interesting topic. Then Uzbeks traditionally bring watermelons, berries, and mushrooms, which are processed in Poland and return to our stores. In the opposite direction, a large part of cargo is EU-produced alcohol, for example. They drink, we get transit tax money and jobs in the border area. A surprising order has been introduced at the border, electronic queues, no crowding there. The biggest challenge is sanctions cases, we have to control hundreds of thousands of items, understand what is what. Even a regular house facade panel can or cannot be a sanctioned product. Handling confiscations sometimes takes months and requires very good training of customs officers. Mostly various everyday spare parts, construction materials, nothing sensational. Cigarettes are now smuggled much less, they are more produced domestically, but drugs are also caught, like this week 250 kg of heroin. A very valuable visit, we also discussed drone matters, they are 'used to it'. Also lessons from the storm in a no-communication and no-electricity situation. What we need to be ready for next time, but that also requires funding - where and how to organize the system to be better prepared next time. Well, we'll take that into account to find the most optimal solutions. It is always important to be on site, talk to people directly, office reports don't give such an impression. Meanwhile, in Riga yesterday there was a full moon. Due to the skewed fantasies of officials, a state of emergency was pushed to be introduced at the border to more easily resolve practical technical issues. A fuss arose that also echoed in foreign press. Completely unnecessary noise over stupidity.
From@MarisKucinskisMillions of illegal cigarettes, hundreds of kg of narcotics and sanctioned goods worth millions – just a small glimpse of what @vid_gov Customs Administration officers intercept at the eastern border, protecting Latvia's economic security and providing service to honest entrepreneurs https://t.co/vbB3yBIaJD
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From@AndrisKulbergs📡 To improve communications in Latvia, internal roaming between mobile operators must be introduced. I personally experience this regularly when traveling to regions of 🇱🇻, and I hear the same from colleagues and people across Latvia — mobile communications may have become worse in many places. Call drops, lost coverage, insufficient coverage. One possible reason could be — we have rapidly transitioned to 5G, which requires a denser network of base stations, while the declining role of the 2G network in certain places may affect coverage availability. One solution — internal roaming within Latvia between LMT, Tele2, and BITE. That would mean: if your operator's network is not available in a specific location, your phone could in certain cases use another operator's network. This would allow more efficient and rational use of existing infrastructure, improve communication availability and, importantly, increase 🇱🇻 resilience in crisis situations. I looked into what's happening with this issue. It turns out — such an initiative has already existed! All operators have even agreed to it, but the issue has remained "hanging" in the MK TAP portal after submission by @Sat_Min. Perhaps it was simply forgotten along the way. 👉 I tasked the office to find out where this issue is stuck and move it forward. Communications are not just convenience. In a crisis they are part of national security and resilience. We must use everything that is already at our disposal so that 🇱🇻 is more prepared.
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