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Latvia Moves Toward Eliminating Russian Language From Commercial Airwaves
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Latvian media regulators are pushing the national government to shut down all private radio stations broadcasting in Russian. Since radio frequencies are state property, officials believe allowing Russian-language stations to use them for free is no longer justifiable, according to Delfi on February 17.
The National Electronic Mass Media Council (NEPLP) argues that the country should not provide indirect support to these commercial outlets.
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Ivars Abolins, the head of the NEPLP, said that Latvia should not fund private Russian-language radio stations. He explained that these frequencies are the most valuable part of the business, and by giving them away for free, the state is supporting a Russian-language information space.
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The proposal suggests a gradual phase-out of these stations over the next eight years. Although this plan was submitted to a parliamentary committee over a month ago, it has not yet been discussed. Abolins recently criticized lawmakers for the delay, urging them to prioritize the matter.
This move follows a series of broader reforms in Latvia aimed at strengthening the national language. The country has already transitioned its entire education system to Latvian. Regulators argue that keeping Russian on commercial radio is illogical and harmful to the nation’s goals.
“Latvia has switched to state-funded education only in the Latvian language, and there are no arguments for valuable state resources to be spent on supporting the information space in the Russian language in the commercial radio environment,” Abolins said.
Latvia has been distancing itself from Russian influence in public life for several years. Previous measures include raising taxes on Russian-language newspapers to make them more expensive to produce. This latest push to clear the airwaves is seen by many as the final step in a long process of cultural and linguistic reform.
Earlier, Russian officials shut down mobile internet in several regions, claiming it was for national security. This caused big problems for people trying to use apps for taxis, deliveries, and payments. At the same time, hackers reportedly broke the computer systems of Russia’s national airline, Aeroflot.
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