{
  "id": 9775918,
  "title": "Latvia bars entry to the father of PM candidate Jūlija Stepaņenko after The Insider’s report on his business with the Russian military",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/latvia-bars-entry-to-the-father-of-pm-candidate-julija-stepanenko",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-25T14:08:12.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Insider",
    "slug": "the-insider",
    "url": "https://theins.press/en/news/297528"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Latvia has barred Russian businessman Sergei Fedotov from entering the country indefinitely after The Insider revealed his company's business ties with the Russian military. Fedotov's daughter, Jūlija Stepaņenko, is running for prime minister in Latvia's upcoming elections. The Insider reported that Fedotov's company produced anti-tank barriers for the Russian army during the invasion of Ukraine. The company, Forma ZhBI LLC and PLK Forma LLC, reportedly manufactured about 2,000 concrete barriers, which were sent to Russian-occupied territories. Fedotov confirmed the production of these barriers, stating they were a subcontractor for the main contractor. Stepaņenko has received two significant gifts from her father, worth a combined 419,600 euros. She declared 239,600 euros in 2022 and received an apartment in Riga for 180,000 euros in 2024. The Latvian government is now investigating the origin of these funds and assessing any potential security risks.",
  "summary": "Following a report from The Insider , Latvia has placed Russian businessman Sergei Fedotov on its list of undesirable persons and banned him from entering the country indefinitely. Fedotov’s daughter, Jūlija Stepaņenko, is running to be prime minister in Latvia’s Oct. 3 elections as a member of the Sovereign Power/Young Latvians alliance, which is currently running second in the polls. On Sept.…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}