Latvia’s Saeima has passed a law allowing public broadcaster LSM to create Russian-language content in only three cases: during an emergency, under a state of emergency, or to specifically rebut false information that threatens democracy and the state. The rules will take effect on January 1, 2027. LSM said that, in practice, regular publication of Russian-language material will cease.
How the Saeima voted
The law was supported by 55 lawmakers, mostly from the governing coalition. The coalition comprises New Unity, the Union of Greens and Farmers, and the National Alliance.
Twenty-four lawmakers voted against it: members of the opposition parties The Progressives and Latvia First, as well as unaffiliated deputies. The measure thus won majority support, but faced opposition both from opposition parties and from lawmakers outside party factions.
Three exceptions to the restriction
The first grounds for Russian-language material are an emergency; the second is the declaration of a state of emergency. The third concerns rebutting false information if it poses a threat to democracy and Latvia as a whole.
In the description of the law provided, these exceptions are set out as separate conditions for creating content in Russian. No other grounds are mentioned in the source. The key practical change, therefore, is not a complete ban on all Russian-language text, but an end to regular production while narrow exceptions remain.
What will change for LSM
The broadcaster said the amendments would mean the end of regular Russian-language publications. Until now, such content has remained on LSM’s website and social media, while public radio and television have not broadcast in Russian since January 1, 2026.
The law will take effect on January 1, 2027, so the current rules will remain in force until then. The source does not specify exactly how a threat to democracy will be assessed or when a rebuttal of false information can be considered targeted; the description of the decision does not set out specific procedures for applying the exceptions.
The language context behind the decision
The restriction comes amid a series of measures to reduce the use of Russian in Latvia’s public sphere. In 2024, Russian was removed from ATM menus, and in the summer of 2025, its use in banking apps was banned.
Against this backdrop, the changes affect the remaining channels for LSM’s Russian-language work: its website and social media. Russian is the native language of about a third of Latvia’s residents, so the decision affects not only the format of the public broadcaster’s publications but also the availability of its regular content to a significant part of the population.
Key takeaway: From January 1, 2027, LSM will be able to publish material in Russian only in the three exceptional circumstances provided for by law.
Sources
- rus.lsm.lv — “The Saeima takes another step toward tighter restrictions”
- only in exceptional cases — “In Russian”
- svoboda.org — “The Russian-language field”
- gorod.lv — “National Electronic Mass Media Council”
