CURRENTTIME — broadcast
20260807 020000 UTC
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[00:00:24] Riga Bus Station. Every day, passenger buses depart from
[00:00:28] here, including to Russia. This
[00:02:03] is one of the largest international transport operators in the region. They
[00:02:06] estimate losses from a possible ban at approximately 6 million
[00:02:10] euros per year. The bus is currently the most accessible way
[00:02:14] for residents of the Baltics to visit relatives in neighboring countries,
[00:02:17] the company says. Well, people barely travel for business now.
[00:02:21] They travel, I don't know, the Latvian
[00:02:24] embassy still comes and asks us to take someone who
[00:02:28] will get a visa at the border. And there are such people because the embassy
[00:02:32] doesn't have time to issue them. For example, a close relative died, a mother,
[00:02:36] father, or someone else, and there are even such people. So people
[00:02:39] come to us with a special document from the Latvian embassy.
[00:02:42] We take them on the bus because drivers must check visas. They don't
[00:02:46] have a visa. That visa is issued at the border. According to the Latvian
[00:02:50] Road Transport Directorate, currently 21 permits have been issued in
[00:02:53] Latvia for regular bus services to
[00:02:57] third countries, i.e., outside the European Union. Here
[00:03:00] is the list: a significant part of the destinations are Ukrainian
[00:03:04] cities, Kyiv, Odesa, and others. Also, from Riga, you can
[00:03:08] travel to Moscow and St. Petersburg, and to Minsk with
[00:03:11] a transfer in Vilnius. The Latvian Association of Carriers
[00:03:14] says that in fact, only direct routes can be banned.
[00:03:18] Transfers are another matter. For example, a Latvian
[00:03:20] carrier drives you to the border, and on the other side, a Russian or
[00:03:24] Belarusian bus is already waiting. If
[00:03:27] you don't close, don't block the border. The number of
[00:04:38] trips to eastern neighbors has almost doubled, according to data
[00:04:42] from the Latvian State Security Service. We asked Riga residents
[00:04:45] what they think about plans to ban bus services to
[00:04:49] Russia and Belarus?
[00:04:52] I think it's stupid. People need to go wherever they want. Relatives
[00:04:56] and friends are everywhere. Are we not closed off? Well, if there's demand, why
[00:04:59] not? As long as there's demand. If, if
[00:05:02] people don't need it, if there's no demand, carriers won't go. Well, the fewer neighbors, the
[00:05:06] better, you're aware, right? We need to isolate ourselves from everyone
[00:05:09] generally. We need to preserve from...
[00:05:50] The company indicated that the decision was made due to a lack
[00:05:53] of state support and rising
[00:05:55] costs.
[00:06:03] Julianna has lived in Latvia her entire conscious life. She graduated from
[00:06:07] school in Riga, studied at the University of Latvia, works,
[00:06:10] and hosts an intellectual quiz.
[00:06:13] Recently, a friend sent Julianna a link to a report on Latvian
[00:06:16] television about a young man who, in addition to Latvian
[00:06:20] citizenship, also has Russian citizenship, because of which he
[00:06:23] may now lose his Latvian passport. "Does this not concern
[00:06:27] you by chance?" a friend asked Julianna.
[00:06:30] At that moment, I sat down and thought, it's possible that this really
[00:06:34] concerns me. All these years I haven't thought about it. Julianna also
[00:06:37] has dual citizenship, Latvian and Russian. She was born
[00:06:41] in Moscow.
[00:07:13] I remember VDNKh very well. I remember the Latvian embassy. My mother
[00:07:17] sang in the choir at the embassy. In Latvia,
[00:07:19] Julianna received a Latvian passport based on the repatriation of her family
[00:07:23] to their ethnic homeland. Further life is connected only with
[00:07:27] Latvia. Despite the fact that the girl's first language is
[00:07:30] Russian, she actually considers Latvian her native language. In Russian,
[00:07:33] as she herself admits, she speaks, but with an accent. According to
[00:07:37] Julianna, she herself does not understand how this is possible, but all these years she lived
[00:07:41] without thinking about the fact that she has another citizenship. In
[00:07:45] her family, she says, no one reminded her about
[00:07:47] this either.
[00:07:50] There were situations when my friends and I just joked about the fact that I was born in
[00:07:54] Russia, but not once, when we talked about something like that, did I
[00:07:58] have the thought, "Stop, I still have Russian citizenship." I lived in complete
[00:08:01] confidence that this had somehow been resolved at some point. Now that I
[00:08:05] think about it, it seems silly to me.
[00:08:08] Why is the situation she finds herself in threatening her?
[00:08:19] The exceptions are the countries of the European Union, of which Latvia
[00:08:23] is a part, and a number of other countries. Russia and Belarus are not
[00:08:26] on this list. In other words, when a person reaches adulthood,
[00:08:30] 18 years old, and enters adult life, they have 7
[00:08:33] years to, if they want to retain Latvian citizenship, renounce
[00:08:37] their second Russian citizenship. In practice, renouncing a Russian
[00:08:41] passport is not so simple.
[00:09:21] with dual Latvian and Russian citizenship, most are under
[00:09:24] 25 years old, meaning they are not violating the law. The
[00:09:28] Latvian Migration Service provided us with statistics indicating
[00:09:31] that the number of cases of deprivation of Latvian
[00:09:34] passports due to a second Russian citizenship has increased
[00:09:38] in recent years, and in 2025 compared to...
[00:11:34] I would like to see a person who, when they turn 18, first
[00:11:37] thinks about how to regularize their legal
[00:11:40] status.
[00:11:47] The complete cessation of trade and economic ties with Russia and
[00:11:50] Belarus has been discussed by the Latvian government for more than a year since
[00:11:53] the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
[00:11:57] Latvia, like neighboring Baltic countries,
[00:11:59] unequivocally condemned the attack, recognized Russia as an aggressor
[00:12:03] state, and Belarus as its accomplice. Latvia, Lithuania, and
[00:12:06] Estonia are consistently severing ties with Russia at all levels. On the other
[00:12:10] hand, within 4 years of the full-scale war, Latvia was
[00:12:13] recognized as the EU leader in importing agricultural
[00:12:16] products from Russia, as well as the champion in
[00:12:20] supplying alcohol to its eastern neighbor, particularly
[00:12:22] whiskey. And one of the ruling Latvian parties,
[00:12:26] the Progressives, proposes, quote: "to stop the hypocritical
[00:12:29] situation where European countries help
[00:12:32] Ukraine with one hand and pour money into the economies of aggressor
[00:12:36] countries with the other." This issue will not be resolved by
[00:12:40] adopting a single law and a complete ban. There must be
[00:12:43] a clear plan on how we will achieve this so that we can
[00:12:46] balance the political goal with economic consequences.
[00:12:50] Yes, this may have negative economic consequences, but in the short
[00:12:54] term. In the long term, I believe it will have
[00:12:57] positive economic consequences. Let's look at
[00:13:00] the statistics: last year, 2025, Latvia
[00:13:03] exported goods to Russia worth over 962
[00:13:07] million euros. Almost half is accounted for by the already mentioned
[00:13:10] alcohol. This is data from the Central Statistical Bureau of
[00:13:13] Latvia. At the end of last year, Russia was in sixth place among
[00:13:17] Latvia's main export partners. Let's compare with the figures from before
[00:13:21] the war, 2021, when exports peaked. Latvia:
[00:13:33] exported goods to Russia worth 1,197 million euros, a total decrease of 19.20%. In fact, the Latvian government says, today we are talking about transit
[00:13:37] exports, that is, deliveries to Russia of goods from other countries
[00:13:40] through Latvia. In imports, that is, deliveries from Russia to
[00:13:44] Latvia, the collapse after the start of the full-scale war is critical,
[00:13:48] according to official data 93%. The
[00:13:51] Ministry of Economy of Latvia says that from a moral and ethical standpoint,
[00:13:55] a complete refusal to trade with Russia is understandable, but in practice, such
[00:13:58] a decision will not have much effect. Goods will continue to be supplied to
[00:14:02] Russia through other EU
[00:14:04] countries.
[00:14:07] Sometimes the argument is made that we need to make life difficult for Russia and impose
[00:14:11] such a ban in Latvia, that we will not export, for example, alcohol
[00:14:14] to Russia. But if other countries do not do the same,
[00:14:18] then it is clear that these goods will still reach Russia through Hungary
[00:14:21] or Slovakia, the most prominent examples. The initiators
[00:14:25] of the ban, in response, say that the goal is to set an example for other
[00:14:29] European countries and influence decision-makers in
[00:14:32] Brussels. What do Latvian traders think about the proposal
[00:14:35] to completely sever economic relations with their eastern neighbor?
[00:14:39] The Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Latvia's largest business association,
[00:14:42] says that today such a decision would cost Latvia approximately
[00:14:46] 1-2% of its national
[00:14:49] GDP.
[00:14:54] America,
[00:15:04] or Africa, Asia, view our region differently.
[00:15:07] Many of them consider Russia an adequate partner, so
[00:15:11] it's impossible to completely ban anything in our world. What we can
[00:15:14] do as a state is to maximize the reduction of
[00:15:17] this cooperation. One example of when the voice of Latvia and other
[00:15:21] Baltic countries was heard in Brussels is a complete ban on
[00:15:25] the export transit to Russia of manganese ore, a useful
[00:15:28] mineral that Russia can use in the arms
[00:15:32] industry and, consequently, in the war against
[00:15:34] Ukraine. The ban was included in the fourteenth package of
[00:15:38] anti-Russian sanctions adopted by EU countries in the summer
[00:15:41] of 2024. Before that, investigative journalists
[00:15:44] found that in 2023, Estonia and Latvia accounted for almost
[00:15:48] 90% of the transit of manganese
[00:15:51] ore sent to Russia. And since the start
[00:15:53] of the full-scale war, the volumes of these supplies have grown exponentially.
[00:15:57] Manganese ore is just one example, says Estonian economist Ron Luvištšuk.
[00:16:01] This year, investigators found that an Irish plant,
[00:16:04] partially owned by Russian billionaire Oleg
[00:16:08] Deripaska, is suspected of supplying alumina to
[00:16:11] Russian factories that produce weapons for the war in
[00:16:14] Ukraine. An Estonian company may be involved in providing
[00:16:18] the logistics for these deliveries. It's normal,
[00:16:21] it's not a sanctioned product. This
[00:16:25] alumina. No one prohibits businesses
[00:16:28] from conducting
[00:16:30] such deals, because indeed, as...
[00:16:33] ну осуществлять такие сделки, потому что действительно, как...
[00:17:07] who continue to conduct deals with Russia and
[00:17:10] Belarus. Previously, in the first years of the full-scale war, the Latvian Ministry
[00:17:14] of Economy published such lists, but then
[00:17:17] abandoned this practice, considering that the lists did not fully
[00:17:21] reflect the real situation in Latvian
[00:17:23] business.
[00:17:26] In fact, this is informing the public so that they can make their own choice
[00:17:30] whether they want to cooperate with this company and buy their
[00:17:33] goods. From the first days of the war, we have been calling on entrepreneurs to leave.
[00:18:07] in all lists, but it will not reflect the real picture, or
[00:18:11] some enterprise hypothetically declares cargo at customs
[00:18:14] to Kazakhstan, meaning no connection to exports to Russia and corresponding
[00:18:18] lists, but whether this cargo is unloaded in Pskov, no one
[00:18:21] knows. I will add the results of a survey published in the fall
[00:18:25] of last year by the agency Norрстат, which showed an ambiguous
[00:18:28] position of Latvian residents on the issue of trade with Russia and
[00:18:32] Belarus. 36% supported a complete ban on business with
[00:18:36] eastern neighbors. 46% opposed it.
[00:18:54] The land of harsh and pristine nature,
[00:18:57] Pshavi, a region that directly adjoins
[00:19:00] the Greater Caucasus mountain
[00:19:03] range.
[00:19:06] The highlanders of Pshavi speak their own special
[00:19:09] dialect of the Georgian language and in many ways
[00:19:13] differ from residents of other regions of Georgia,
[00:19:16] preserving their preferences
[00:19:18] in religion, in traditions, in
[00:19:20] cuisine.
[00:19:26] This was a real threat: there are
[00:19:29] criteria for a launch. If they are violated,
[00:19:33] the launch will be canceled. Problems
[00:19:35] with hydrogen leaks happened during the shuttle era, and we successfully
[00:19:39] resolved them. In the situation with Artemis and the SLS
[00:19:42] rocket, it's important to remember that this was the very first time these
[00:19:46] systems interacted as a single unit.
[00:20:24] Thank you so much for taking the time for us. I know you have a busy
[00:20:27] schedule. We saw last week you lobbying and posting
[00:20:31] on Instagram about the bill on sanctions against Russia and
[00:20:34] Iran. Do you think it's time to pass it? And that
[00:20:38] the president might sign it
[00:20:39] soon?
[00:20:42] Absolutely. Putin is a bandit. What he has done to the Ukrainian
[00:20:46] people is disgusting, how many women, children, and grandmothers he has killed.
[00:20:50] And it is important for us to defend freedom. The people of Ukraine are to be
[00:20:53] admired. Last week, I invited two Ukrainian
[00:20:56] commanders here to share with us developments in drone
[00:21:00] technology and combat. They are truly to be
[00:21:03] admired, but you know, if you support what Russia
[00:21:07] is doing, then sanctions should be imposed against you. There is
[00:21:11] no
[00:21:11] doubt about that.
[00:21:16] You are a very influential senator and communicate a lot with your colleagues.
[00:22:05] We need to intervene and support our friends, expect our friends to do more for their own defense, but
[00:22:09] understand that we live in dangerous times. You cannot on one hand
[00:22:12] say, "Oh, Russia is a terrible place," and on the other hand,
[00:22:16] not hold it accountable. We are obliged to do so.
[00:22:20] our army we need to do the same with
[00:22:23] communist China. We need to stop buying anything from communist China. We are building up
[00:22:27] because we are concerned, but at the same time, we do not explain
[00:22:31] to the American public that they should stop buying their
[00:22:34] goods. But the sanctions bill, in my opinion, is a step towards
[00:22:38] holding Putin accountable. I want Ukraine to win,
[00:22:40] and I want Russia to lose. Ukrainians
[00:22:44] are good, they are on the good side, and the Russian government is on
[00:22:48] the bad side.
[00:23:00] It seems that the president's perception, and that of many
[00:23:04] in this building, the perception of the value of Ukraine for the United
[00:23:07] States has changed. When you talk to colleagues, do you
[00:23:11] feel that they truly understand that Ukraine is a much better
[00:23:15] ally for the United States than many in that part
[00:23:18] of the world?
[00:23:22] and I think they are excellent allies, they have shown that they are ready
[00:23:26] to fight for freedom. What is truly admirable about Ukrainians
[00:23:29] is that in very difficult conditions they fight for
[00:23:33] freedom. Look at how we treat Israelis, they fight for
[00:23:37] their freedom, they are ready to fight because they want their
[00:23:40] children and grandchildren to live in a free environment. When I think about the heroism
[00:23:44] of Ukrainians, I think the world admires them for how they
[00:23:48] went through all of this.
[00:24:20] that he could use Trump and the Europeans, and he really did
[00:24:23] take advantage of the Europeans, but I think he underestimated Trump's
[00:24:26] commitment to freedom around the world. I suppose people were surprised by
[00:24:30] how President Trump is working to prevent Iran from having nuclear
[00:24:34] weapons. I think they were surprised that he is trying
[00:24:37] to hold communist China accountable. I think they were
[00:24:40] surprised that he eliminated Maduro in Venezuela. So,
[00:24:44] I suppose the world was generally surprised by how decisively
[00:24:47] Donald Trump advocates for freedom
[00:24:50] worldwide.
[00:24:53] Do you think he, Putin, still believes he can outlast
[00:24:57] the United States and its allies? Or rather, can
[00:25:00] Congress prove him wrong? You said that we need
[00:25:03] to act quickly and pass this bill? I think
[00:25:06] many believe they can survive and outlast because historically
[00:25:10] they have been dealing with presidents of the United States who chose a policy
[00:25:14] of appeasement. Look back, look at Obama and look at
[00:25:17] Biden. They appeased dictators everywhere.
[00:26:05] I think part of it is that Ukrainians are very creative in what
[00:26:08] they do, and they manage to create increasingly advanced
[00:26:12] drone technologies, but perhaps even more impressive
[00:26:16] is the quality of their operators, the fact that with a very small group
[00:26:20] of people they destroy Russian troops. I spoke with
[00:26:23] one Ukrainian commander who, with 2,000 men,
[00:26:26] destroyed Russian equipment worth over 15 billion
[00:26:30] dollars. I spoke with another who manages a very
[00:26:34] small part of the Ukrainian military budget, but who has destroyed
[00:26:37] about 30% of the Russian army, because they
[00:26:41] figured out how to do this very skillfully with autonomous
[00:26:44] weapons, excellent training, and essentially constant
[00:26:48] feedback, where those who use the technology constantly
[00:26:52] communicate with those who create it. This constant
[00:26:55] improvement day by day, what the Ukrainian army has done,
[00:26:59] is truly admirable.
[00:27:02] You are calling on the president and administration to sign this
[00:27:05] document as soon
[00:27:06] as possible?
[00:27:11] I've talked to people at the Department of Defense. I've talked to
[00:27:14] the president about the importance of working with Ukrainians, because you can't help
[00:27:18] but respect and admire what they are achieving. I don't
[00:27:21] think many people believed that Ukraine would even survive, let alone
[00:27:25] take this war to Russian territory and to the Russian
[00:27:28] people, meaning for quite a long time Russians had practically no…
[00:28:32] this applies to all our allies who believe in freedom, because Putin does not believe in personal freedom,
[00:28:44] to achieve this,
[00:28:45] they
[00:28:50] have already acted together to achieve this. We must understand
[00:28:54] that there is a significant threat to our freedom and independence, but
[00:29:00] Xi does not believe in personal freedom, and I...
[00:29:14] Will Putin's defeat in Ukraine be the first step in
[00:29:18] containing this, if you will,
[00:29:20] alliance?
[00:29:23] I think that Ukrainians, through their actions, have shown that corrupt dictatorships
[00:29:27] fail, and freedom triumphs. My last
[00:29:31] question about this. If you had the opportunity to send Putin
[00:29:34] a message, what would it be
[00:29:36] today?
[00:29:42] I would tell Putin, you are a bandit, and you should
[00:29:45] go to hell for all the death and destruction you have
[00:29:48] caused the Ukrainian people, and I will do everything in my power
[00:29:52] to continue to help fight for freedom anywhere in the world
[00:29:55] against you, as well as against Xi, Kim Jong Un,
[00:29:58] the Ayatollahs, and other disgusting bandits who rule
[00:30:02] the lives of people around the world. Thank you, Senator, for
[00:30:06] taking the time to share your
[00:30:08] views with us.
[00:30:18] The amazing story of Alexander Gabyshev, known as Sasha
[00:30:21] the Shaman, who is going from Yakutia to Moscow to overthrow
[00:30:24] the government. What does that mean? It means lightning and the wrath
[00:30:28] of God.