Latvia is moving to ban Russian citizens from buying land within its borders, taking a similar step to Finland. The decision follows an agreement by Latvia’s ruling coalition to work on a law that will block Russian land purchases.
Edmunds Jurēvics, head of the 'New Unity' Saeima faction, announced the plan after a coalition meeting, as reported by United24 Media.
“The coalition agreed that it’s necessary to look at Finland’s example and work on restricting land sales to Russian citizens,” Jurēvics told Latvian news outlet LSM+.
Experts and lawmakers will now figure out how to implement the ban.
The issue was first raised by the Ministry of Agriculture during the coalition’s discussions, reflecting growing concerns about Russian ownership of land in Latvia.
This initiative comes after Finland’s Defense Minister Antti Hekkinen proposed a similar ban on Russian citizens buying property, pointing to security worries after the war in Ukraine.
Finland’s public broadcaster, YLE, reported a spike in Russian property purchases since the conflict began.
Latvia’s Foreign Ministry has already said that the decision to restrict land purchases by citizens of third countries, including Russians, will be up to parliament. Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže discussed this idea with officials in Finland and other Baltic countries earlier this year.
The proposed law still needs to go through parliament, but the idea is gaining momentum as more countries tighten rules on Russian property ownership.
Meanwhile, Lithuania has completed fortifying part of its border with Russia’s Kaliningrad region as part of its national defense strategy.
