Pro-Russian Latvian moves to Russia, gets forcibly conscripted into the Russian army
While in pre-trial detention, Sergei Mulivanov signed a military contract and was subsequently sent to participate in the Russian invasion he had previously vocally supported.
Sergei Mulivanov, a staunch supporter of Russia's invasion of Ukraine who had moved to Russia two years ago, was forcibly conscripted into the Russian military in late October, according to opposition outlet The Insider. Mulivanov, 59, had openly criticized Latvia's oppression of Russians and advocated for various pro-Russian policies such as suspension of support to Ukraine, promotion of Russian language education in Latvia, and reinstatement of Russian media stations there.
After relocating to the Moscow region and obtaining Russian citizenship, Mulivanov found work as a courier but was involved in criminal activities, including unknowingly transporting stolen currency. In April, he was arrested by Russian police on fraud charges, to which he pleaded not guilty. While in pre-trial detention, Mulivanov signed a military contract, leading to his deployment to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in October.
His friends and lawyer allege he was coerced into signing the contract. Since being sent to the front, Mulivanov has been unreachable for six days, according to his acquaintances. Russian military losses in October 2026 were reported to be higher than any other month since the invasion began in 2022, with Ukraine's General Staff estimating 54,400 soldiers lost.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Independent's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
