Baltic export: The Insider identifies the Russian agents of influence working to destabilize Latvia's upcoming elections
Latvia's upcoming parliamentary elections, scheduled for Oct. 3, will feature fourteen political parties competing for 100 seats in the Saeima. Roughly a third of the candidates consider Russian their native language — some studied at Russian educational institutions, while others frequently travel to Russia. Moscow is closely monitoring the campaign, and pro-Kremlin propagandists are spreading a…
Vladimir Balobayev, a 38-year-old native of Kaliningrad, is identified as the Russian Presidential Administration’s point man for issues in Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania. In 2015, he headed the Baltic Information and Analytical Center, a group that funded independent journalists in the Baltic states, including Andrei Solopenko, editor of the banned Baltnews portal.
Solopenko was sentenced to community service in 2025 for violating anti-Russian sanctions. Balobayev later joined the Presidential Administration, becoming head of the Department for Interaction with Civil Society Institutions, responsible for cultural ties with former Soviet states. He was awarded the rank of Active State Councillor of the Russian Federation in 2020.
Balobayev now oversees a range of Kremlin-backed organizations, including the Foreign Ministry’s Third European Department, Rossotrudnichestvo, and the Russkiy Mir Foundation. Among his associates are propagandists, former officials, and individuals with ties to Belarus and Russia. In Latvia, the SVR station chief, Igor Sorokopud, monitors the country’s relations with NATO, Western military aid to Ukraine, and individuals with access to decision-makers.
Written by urgent.news from The Insider's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
