Russia rejects claim against journo expelled from Latvia

Russia has dismissed Latvia’s accusation against a Russian journalist, whom the Baltic country has expelled based on the allegation that she posed a threat to its national security.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Thursday described as “absurd” Latvia’s accusation that Olga Kurlayeva, a correspondent in Latvia for the Russian television channel VGTRK, posed a threat to the European Union member state’s national security.

Zakharova explained that the accusation against Kurlayeva was reminiscent of “those used by totalitarian regimes in Spain and Germany in the 1930s.”

“It is absolutely clear that the Latvian authorities, with the silent support of Brussels, have the goal to completely clean the country’s information space from unwanted media,” the Russian spokeswoman further said.

She said Russia would “seek appropriate reaction of the relevant international institutions.”

Speaking on anonymous terms, a spokesman for Latvia’s border guard service also confirmed that another Russian citizen had been detained and expelled under immigration laws.

Zakharova said that other person was believed to be Anatoly Kurlayev, Kurlayeva’s husband, who works for the Russian Rsentr TV channel.

The move is expected to further deteriorate relations between Russia and Latvia, a NATO member state.

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