Latvian FM criticizes Ukrainian taxi-driver for speaking Russian

2024-12-22 07:32:14

(MENAFN) Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze publicly criticized a taxi driver who allegedly refused to speak any language other than Russian, later revealing the driver was Ukrainian. Latvia's official language is Latvian, but Russian is spoken by a significant portion of its population, including many ethnic Russians. Since the Russia-Ukraine conflict began, Latvia has increasingly restricted the use of Russian, viewing it as a remnant of Soviet control.

Braze shared her complaint via social media, alleging the driver only communicated in Russian. A company representative later explained that the driver, a Ukrainian national, did not speak Latvian. The minister reiterated her stance that Russian should not be the primary language used in Latvia.

Latvia has introduced several policies to limit the use of Russian, including changes to banking services and education, and recently imposed a language test requirement for ethnic Russians, leading to accusations of racial discrimination from Moscow.

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