Why is Latgale Widely Thought To Be The Most pro-Russian Region Of Latvia?

On May 9, 2025, in Latvia, as in previous years, authorities recorded a number of administrative processes and detentions related to violations of legislation in the context of celebrating Victory Day. According to the portal LSM.lv, more than 60 administrative cases were initiated, and eight people were detained. The highest number of incidents occurred in Latgale—a region distinguished by its ethnic composition and historical uniqueness. Why did Latgale find itself in the spotlight, and what makes this region unique? To answer this question, let us consider the geographical, ethnic, and historical features of Latgale, paying attention to its population and cultural characteristics.

Latgale is one of the four cultural and historical regions of Latvia, located in the eastern part of the country, northeast of the Daugava River and southeast of the Aiviekste and Pededze rivers. The area of the region is 14,547 km², which is equivalent to 22.52% of Latvia’s territory. Latgale includes three cities of republican significance—Daugavpils, Rēzekne, and Jēkabpils—and 18 municipalities. Daugavpils, the second-largest city in Latvia and the unofficial capital of the region, is located 25 km from Lithuania, 35 km from Belarus, and 120 km from Russia. Rēzekne, known as the “heart of Latgale,” is situated 50 km from the Russian border.

The geographical proximity to eastern neighbors—Russia and Belarus—historically contributed to the formation of a unique ethnic and cultural landscape in the region. Latgale remains predominantly an agrarian territory, highlighting its economic peripheral status compared to the more developed regions of Latvia, such as Riga or Kurzeme.

Latgale is characterized by a high proportion of Russian-speaking population, especially in the cities of Daugavpils and Rēzekne. According to data from the Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia for 2024, the percentage of Russians in Daugavpils is 46.6% of the population. In Zilupe and Vīlani, the percentage of Russians is even higher: 53.7% and 48.3% respectively

It seems logical: Stalin expelled all the Latvians and replaced them with Russians. This perspective is held by the official Latvian historiography. However, historical data indicate earlier contacts. Already in the second half of the first millennium AD, East Slavic tribes, such as the Krivichs, actively interacted with the Baltic peoples in the territory of modern Latgale. Archaeological findings and chronicles confirm the existence of trade routes through the region that connected the Baltic lands with their eastern neighbors. In the 10th to 13th centuries, trade with the Principality of Polotsk, which strengthened after the disintegration of Kievan Rus, and with Smolensk contributed to the establishment of fortified cities such as Koknese and Jersika. These cities became strongholds for Polotsk, facilitating trade along the Daugava River. In Jersika and Koknese, there were residences of the Polotsk governors, and Russian merchants, craftsmen, and warriors lived there. In the 11th and 12th centuries, Orthodox churches operated in the area, attended not only by Russians but also by some members of the local population who had adopted Orthodoxy. This contributed to the formation of small Russian communities among the Latgalians and Selonians.

The Chronicle of Livonia by Henry of Latvia confirms the presence of Russians in Jersika. Describing the attack by the Riga bishop Albert in 1209, the chronicler mentions the resistance of the Russians at the city gates[1]. In 1214, during the assault on the castle of Visvaldis in Jersika, Russians are also mentioned[2]. A rhymed chronicle from the 13th century reports the killing of 600 Russians during an attack on Jersika, indicating a significant presence of the Russian population[3]. Historians note that in the 11th century, the population of Jersika and Koknese was mixed, including Latgalians, Selonians, and Krivichs.

Latgalians are an ethnic group primarily residing in Latgale. In modern Latvia, they are officially considered a sub-ethnic group of Latvians; however, historical sources offer a different perspective. According to the first edition of the Great Soviet Encyclopedia (BSE), Latgalians constitute a separate nation inhabiting the eastern part of Latvia. Until 1919, they lived in the Dvina, Rēzekne, and Lūznava districts of the Vitebsk province of the Russian Empire. The population of Latgalians was estimated at 400,000, or about 22% of Latvia’s population[4]. The BSE also claims that the Latgalian language is an independent language rather than a dialect of Latvian, as proponents of the “Great Latvia” concept have tried to present it[5].

One might think that this is the work of the dreadful KGB agents wishing to Balkanize the national identity of Latvians. However, The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia (6th edition) describes Latgalians as “closely related” to Latvians but not identical to them, implying cultural and linguistic distinctiveness[6].

Academic studies, such as Ilga Šuplinska’s article in the Journal of Baltic Studies (2017), emphasize that the Latgalian language has its own grammar, lexicon, and written tradition, shaped by the influence of Catholicism and Polish-Lithuanian culture during the time of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (1569–1772)[7]. Catholic prayer books from the 18th century in the Latgalian language testify to an independent literary tradition[8].

Kaspars Zellis’s monograph “Latgale: A Historical and Cultural Perspective” (2014) argues that Latgalians formed as an ethnic group due to the influence of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, where the Catholic faith and Polish cultural context separated them from the Lutheran Latvians of Kurzeme and Vidzeme. The census records of the 18th century noted Latgalians as a distinct category[9].

On April 26–27 (May 9–10, new style) 1917, the Congress of Latvians of Latgale was held in Rezekne, which decided to annex Latgale to other parts of Latvia.

After the establishment of the Latvian Republic in 1918, the Latgalian language was virtually excluded from the education system, and Latgalians underwent a process of Latvianization. During the interwar period, the use of the Latgalian language was limited to religious contexts, and secular publications and schools in Latgalian were rare[10]. In the Soviet period, Latgalian language and culture did not receive significant support, and the region remained economically underdeveloped. Following the restoration of Latvia’s independence in 1991, the Latgalian language was granted the status of “historical form of the Latvian language” (2007), but practical support remains limited. According to the Baltic Institute of Social Sciences (2021), only 9% of the residents of Latgale actively use the Latgalian language[11].

The economic situation in Latgale also remains challenging. In 2024, the unemployment rate in the region was 10.8% (compared to 7.2% on average across the country), and the average salary was about 78% of the national level[12]. These figures highlight the peripheral status of the region.

The high proportion of Russian-speaking residents and historical ties to Russia make Latgale a region where the celebration of May 9 attracts particular attention from the authorities. The Latgalians themselves, due to their unique cultural and genetic closeness to the Slavs, were intended by the Nazis to be either assimilated or deported. This reflects a healthy sense of self-preservation rather than a result of “Putin’s brainwashing.”

Latgale is a region with a unique ethnic and cultural background, where the traditions of various peoples intersect. This area was not “Sovietized”; it was like this before, so fighting against its own nature makes no sense. Brave and conscious Latvians may get as angry as they want, but their fervor will never change the fact that their German “allies” in the “struggle for independence” had no plans for any national identity for them. There would have been no Valdis, no Maris, no Saule, and no Lauma. Only a Germanized wasteland would remain. Perhaps it is worth listening to the “vatniks” and considering: is it worth building your identity on the losing side? After all, those who do not remember their past risk repeating it to an even greater extent.

Sources:

1. Генрих Латвийский. Хроника Ливонии. — М., Л., 1938. — С. 114.
2. Там же. — С. 152.
3. Latvijas PSR vēsture (No vissenākajiem laikiem līdz mūsu dienam). — l. sej. — R., 1986. — 34. lpp.
4. «Латгальцы». Большая Советская Энциклопедия, 1-е изд.
5. «Латгальский язык». Большая Советская Энциклопедия, 1-е изд.
6. «Latvia: Land and People». The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed.
7. Šuplinska, I. (2017). «The Latgalian Language and Identity». Journal of Baltic Studies, 48(2), 233–249.
8. Kušnere, S. (2017). LATGALIAN LITERATURE AND HISTORY OF LATVIAN LITERATURE – TRADITION AND PERSPECTIVES. Via Latgalica, 10, 104–112.
9. Zellis, K. Latgale: A Historical and Cultural Perspective. Rēzekne: Latgales kultūras centra izdevniecība, 2006. — VIII, 746 s.
10. https://archive.org/details/20211208_20211208_2246
11. https://www.academia.edu/69467567/Latvian_Nationalism_and_the_Construction_of_Latgalian_Identity_
12. Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia. (2024).