Russia’s Cooperation with Latvian Municipalities: Cases of Daugavpils and Rezekne

Despite the complicated relationship between Russia, on the one hand, and Latvia and other Western countries, on the other hand, Daugavpils and Rezekne municipalities (two of the largest cities in Latvia, located in the eastern part of the country) continue to expand their cooperation with Russia and engage in initiatives of Russian interest, concludes the analytical review “Russian Cooperation with Latvian Municipalities: Cases of Daugavpils and Rezekne”.

The authors of the review continue and deepen the work of the CEEPS Study from year 2017 on Latvian Regions, analyzing in more detail how Russia and its federal entities interact with Latvia’s two cities of national importance – Rezekne and Daugavpils.

The analytical review is based on a wide range of information sources, including documents from Russian institutions, documents from Rezekne and Daugavpils municipalities, information from regional media and interviews with municipal officials and public activists in these cities.

The three chapters provide insights into Russian policy issues that affect external cooperation with other regions, analyze how Russia’s actions are reflected in the Daugavpils and Rezekne cases and how these municipalities respond to Russian initiatives. The authors also focus on the activities carried out by the above-mentioned municipalities, which are directly or partially related to Russia’s foreign policy activities.

The analytical overview (in Latvian) is available here.