from me and the news themes and all of an update for you at the top of the alex. i'm next on close up the identity crisis among not be as logs russian. my not on god l as in building the can you see is what old cod my is have to do with you production. here's a hands on the real media now on youtube. so shock dissolves to and inside the and tyra,

facebook escalating the very last moment we've thought they'd reach an agreement that's typical and nothing bad would happen in your brain as a joke. busy trista, i got a call from a friend at 6 am saying, tonight russia attacked your father's homeland. so my 1st thought was good. and uh not any more of the swell depot not experienced. let's go to the 24th of february 2022. got them 2 hours later, i was outside the embassy of the russian federation with the plank called that said, stop the wolf. why no, could i be so it's becomes ne and all, but i'll come post sam don't and very soon said optical leaves to do some to, to the gulf. rushes invasion of ukraine has left lap via is russian speaking minority, emotionally, profoundly torn up the 1900000 people in the un,

nato member. lafayette one and 4 have russian roots. the invasion, reawakened old fears and prejudices, as well as growing hostility towards ethnic russians. associated with the former soviet occupiers, the following it's annexation of latvia. in the 1940s, the soviet union encouraged russian migration in order to speed up industrialization in the country. lat, via re gained independence in 1991. but relations between the russians, speaking minority and loudly and majority have been increasingly strange, the tennis slots grew up in a typical soviet era, housing and state. the russian invasion has brought untold suffering to crane and

has had an indirect impact on the russian speaking minority in lafayette. about the just the from the, the 24th of february 2022 minutes above old, deep disappointments thing with the cult of the courageous russian people. in the bravery i associated with my russian roots, they promised us that phone guy had, has, i hope, now being destroyed for as long as a lot. and i just figured out of that are some of them at the below a boy now, which is good when i had to recognize that the car at johnny hadn't believed in was just an illusion. a little after a long period of being a reflection, i concluded that i am left the end of russian to send us the letter showed us a couple of ways because then you use the most of a pro sent me a never gave any thought to who i was until i got older and realize there was a late fee and majority society,

which russian speak is like me will not console if you will just for a lot 3. so yeah, it was coming within, came the doubts about my identity, the program i russian, should i go to russia or am i actually live in? yeah, that's what i see. perhaps a russian speaking lab fee in minneapolis could go, but actually what this does to move this to if you want us just to be of simple at your life. i do the there were no such questions. when i was younger, we'd go to the made the 9th celebrations when schools were closed on them at home, we watched russian tv in new old, the russians, the liberties of else. we had no idea about left being culture. we were living in a bubble wheel. uh, that goes really slow, you know, because they do the freaking out. i see. okay. you know, the low cost of baseball over the changing even before the russian invasion of ukraine, look on yours, but they weren't as pronounced on the moon. your costs are still go for the bush. the world was a trigger, the feeling of symbols. and by then there was this,

the negative attitude towards anything russian, russian identity and nationality or whatever with, with silk. but what it feels as if everything russian is automatically considered bad or evil. so it will square the blue with duckworth up with and that's why usually you have the good because i don't want to lease in with them for the don't see any controls yet. that's who the reno was born and bred in latvia. her mother, a 2nd world war veteran move to lab, be after the war in search of a better life. there are many russian speakers have fond memories of when latvia was part of the soviet union until its sudden collapse changed everything. no coverage given us to what was it like in 1991. and yet now you have, for me, i remember when that it said independence the now i'm showing the most we knew it was happening in this. it was

a fact. so there's not much you can say shows that come right. so that's what this is. so nothing changed. life remained the same. so you look up when you put mean nothing changed. of course things changed. i lost my job because my university was close down in 91. no, not really. yes. right off to independence. maybe some so it's a pretty my was finishing up with a very serious couple me in life. and the soviet era was very good, even of the but then came the ninety's when everything was turned upside down you, you weren't moved up of the could be, i don't know, they've been moments when we didn't know how we were going to survive. and how we were supposed to behave with duckworth on the 6th of september 1991. the soviet union formerly recognized lab b as declaration of independence before itself becoming history a few months later, following the final stages of its collapse the

prior to the events of the early 19 ninety's version to soviet rule had led to the emergence of a new national awakening movement and a peaceful struggle to regain independence. on the 23rd of august 1989 over 2000000 people in estonia, latvia and lithuania, formed a 650 kilometer long human chain connecting the country's capitals. on the 50th anniversary of the hitler, stalin, non aggression pact which had divided north eastern europe into german and soviets spears of influence. a demonstration of solidarity and to call for freedom and independence from the soviet union. i'll be in the no lily. it was one of the popular friends biggest protest events office. so she has a symbol way also includes the idea of

a return to europe in all that was gonna appear in a way towards nato membership. on the heads of a balding search, which is why the baltic way no longer belongs to our people. job sandra, calling you to was a key figure in the movement and a leading member of the popular front of latvia, a political group committed to latvian independence. she's now a member of the european parliament. it's not the exam cut and the i remember exactly when i had my personal awakening for you to source. it was the 14th of june, 1987 when the helsinki, 86 movement called on people to lay flowers by the freedom monument to expand it in remembrance of the large scale deportations on the 14th of june. 1941 was real wonderful, felt the not the but i didn't have the courage to do it. despite 3 of my grand parents subsequently dying, my parents being deported and i myself being born in their symbols on their style.

and it was then that i experienced a profound change cost, a cool products and in the wake of the hitler, stalin packed, also known as the muller tom. reuben trump packed the soviet union, occupied latvia in 1940 and deported tens of thousands of innocent people to siberia, several 1000 kilometers east, taken away from their homeland. and in many cases, their very lives taken away is able to be at a the, the, the war began in 1941 guy, so they did. ortiz faced and extreme struggle to survive when fox disc, because of the guns they were left with practically no food, a mom or father left defense to look at medicament missing office, ma'am, to my mother, always dropped off on an uninhabited island. ex, together with 200 other people underneath it, they had to dig their own earth huts,

housing, and somehow find something to eat. the 3 so events in ukraine are bringing all of that back up the, the not own fear of history repeating itself by you go back to the cost of fear that is very strong. give me the system very to so the beats out loud b and russian rider, marina cost. and yet scott was one of the co founders of the popular front of latvia alongside. so i ended up calling you to and one of its most active members, even of kimberly email to do both that the in the kremlin parliamentarians from lithuania, lunch via estonia, fortunately demanded that the mother, tough ribbon, trump packed. and that secret protocols may be declared no and void said no,

you will bring it to the stage. 3 months practically paced away for the independence of the baltic states through a sports mason with both his gifts useful recomp set the best buy's fish on the 4th of may. 1990 is a very special day in my life and my new and i think for a lot of other lesbians to auto sawgrass mills. and there was this wave of joy and happiness on the streets of on the pick of hill. it was not to be adopted. our declaration of independence declared, i'll say yes, soon, what you will, and nobody was on the barricade all night. if it got there everywhere i went, i could hear a lot of people speaking russian bootable, the there were widespread fears that moscow might respond to the declaration of

independence with the military invasion and re occupation following a tax on rica by a lead soviet units in january 1991, the latvian government, called on the population to erect barricades for protection at the blue. you'd just it was the only time when we stood shoulder to shoulder and joined hands. we'll go to school. there were lots of russians, manning the barricades, but they were betrayed. they will offer to stand with us and they will promise citizenship and all other privileges. and people believed that lou, that's when the division happened, that was still paying for today, but it didn't work. as live via became an independent state, everyone would move there since 1940 and their families were denied citizenship and the right to vote almost a 3rd of the population. it would be many years until they were able to become citizens in the country of their birth video as well. so it's important to look back at history luckily, because the 1st major step taken by lot via was to re establish the community of

lucky and citizens as it was in 1943. i got the cause of meeting the inclusion of all lot of in citizens and their descendants went to that stage to redo that and that included many minorities russians pull his gun juice and others got a but i will take the next step was the law of laying down clear rules for becoming a lot the, and citizens legal guy, this little thing called cost this bar close by luck. nice bill. so, you know, to, for his date essentially required 3 things, you know, speaking the language of her not understanding the country's history and swearing allegiance, and loyalty to the state a stop. it does agree why did a section of the russian minority choose not to apply for citizenship? is it you'll have to ask them yourself, been blocked? wisco sonya say all that is because of the all the venue with the 50000,

from the outset, the laptop and one to the official language to be a lot to be a money on you. we have this idea of all the russian schools now teaching classes and that fee and still back then in the ninety's. nobody dad to push the issue. it was simply too dangerous to give us a good looking to book a music costa listeners come up us with the since the turn of the millennium, the authorities have been gradually increasing the proportion of latvian language classes at minority schools. leading to repeated protests from the russian community. as of the 20252026 school year, all children are set to be taught exclusively in lab fee. and the shame

fuck, i assure you missed it, but almost done with as we've only just begun the transitional things. so i mean, there's still difficulties us to throughout the course. children initially have a bilingual language curriculum, and from 5 grade it's all at the end to coordinate them. we're gradually getting used to it. but so far the transition isn't without its problems seem youth and they've got some parents find it annoying. well, for others, it's not a big deal here and was putting him out of their adapting to the new situation and helping their children do that to you to go forward assignments on the field of, of support to, to pushes the thoughts. so just know that i know some families who are saying we're going to leave because we want our kids to preserve the russian language. we want them to be told. and then by the time you know, music you of the not the most. he's like, you know,

so you're processing the national language is running size. i think it should have happened sooner cause to put a bowl listening. russian is the 2nd language at schools is expensive. um and you said would be nice for them to be able to study the language that they speak at home. i believe the to put them in your pocket. tucker doesn't provide it with norma available, but across the se, but my name again, that would be great if they could talk about the books that the parents are giving them to read it, at least they are. and then it would be the only way of guessing to know them that the total that they just said was more of a staples, an acquirements think across the seem yeah. prescribe down the reserves and national identity is more of the job of families than of the schools that's i don't think the children will suffer that much. i was not being able to study their mother tongue at state schools, mondays in the spring. you might those standing, you're still probably find other options for doing that. austin, this cooler, a little smaller because if they show, if they feel that strongly about it is, it looks here. come one, losing them was a decimal with this which has because if the sure

the, the whole, vince is a romanian member of the european parliament and president of an umbrella organization that advocates for national minorities and regional languages on the continent. the human rights court said that basically lots we up was right when they tried to stop the russian language education in, in the, in the schools and to close down to the restaurant schools. because the role of the, or the obligation of the state is only to offer education and public education a not in one language unfortunately. so use the vote on the ukraine. there is

a stigma on, on, on the russians. and yes, there are problem. certainly there is a russian profile, gotten the money police are not even individuals from the community who have to tied to the relation uh with their i signed out on the us. and he, for those months we have speaking about individuals and you should speak about the community here and then the community needs the support. it's a hor, it's fine sending for everybody, but the shark media states i'm supporting you even though and, and i making sure you will have your school. you will have your, maybe i, the minority language, you will have, you keep your car to the institutions and so live via has accuse russia of using language and culture to so discord and conflict. meanwhile, the war and ukraine has seen memories of the 2nd world war, deepening the divide into diety, and less the russian minority struggling to reconcile its identity with loyalty to lafayette mortgage. good mama, extended time. do you remember when we went to the memorial on the 9th of may get

them like to get an idea of as long as you remember when the kids came to congratulate you and give you flowers to be restored, she gets a good to enjoy that didn't you know, it was to be a there the official, the name of the war. a vine. you're, i'm just not sure you seem here. so nonsense may was the most important holiday in our family. just giving you a safe way for me because my mother served in the will through through june, but almost with the 5 minutes a day when we remember, for soldiers who gave their lives, defending latvia and other play allows you to show you the game is the so loosely easy for decades during the soviet hero victory parking riga hosted annual celebrations on the 9th of may. but while for some, the day marked victory and the great patriotic war over nancy, germany for others, it was the beginning of an occupation that mind. we came here on the 9th of may. my

grandma said these are the songs we used to sing back then up. the 9th of may has become so politicized. but i don't go to the celebrations anymore. what did i feel? so i was just being herded alone to show that 35000 people had. yeah, the only for them to say this has been use it. you ation with the okay, what we did in 2022. the lab being government now declared the 9th of may a day of remembrance for the victims of the war and ukraine started by russia 3 months earlier. it called on people to refrain from laying flowers at memorials, which it said glorified the soviet occupation. many still that their flowers were removed the very next morning, instead of previously several days afterwards, prompting out rage and some people to come back and lay more flowers the next day. such and book ship beloved of a slightly why would people even allowed to lay flowers in a time of war and such attention? according to police, they are allowed then removing the flowers. the next day is

a direct attack on the russian speaking population. what i swore it was a signal of the government's relationship with them, at least it'll still go right. ask you a lot to be in the pocket and you mean it comes with the washer administrating your can you some of the flower layers express pro russian sentiment? yes, you was sorry. it's enough for the neighbors throw. not simple. my guy at the i'm going is down new york. we're on the do you want not put my guys, you want to know for my guys. you want the we're just starting. you put them loose. the are you for? she's good. you need provide you the new point you might get, but i've done zillow's videos or spinning nickel. we wouldn't have heard about the victory memorial if it hadn't been instrumental ice by moscow. lucky's cause to create division and lot be as russian community now. and then i'll take the thought out this to that su open and nobody used to go there in the 1st few years after

independence of you know, putting, i'm not after coupon came to power and started reviving this old colt. the place gradually became this huge and extremely distasteful stage for rallies from the mills and sold to our dignity, newark and live. but the, and to our states a bit sized right. and almost busty. i know, besides, basically it's a symbol of colonial rule bio to say the colonial. i lost a lot of singles here in august 2022. the obelisk in the heart of victory park was torn down the the, the

most just the coordinates in up a mr. this is where the monument to deliberations every guy used to be a real loan of contention between the latvians and russians. yeah, for you more, i understand the russians to whom the 2nd world war is a wound that never heels. an inbuilt memory passed on from generation to generation religion yet the green subscript. pardon me, i also understand the lesbians to whom the liberation of rico from the german occupies did not mean liberation from all occupier as it was getting near the gear or the work you could go with. your most is uh, we also have to liberate ourselves visually from these memories of the most trying times in our history. the last today you had to google that the when you, when you mom for a long time, i couldn't understand why there was so much in tagging this, them on that day. yeah. put them with the peninsula when i started giving it most tools, i did understand the lack fans why this celebration was so alien to them. but then

with this just give a local but because of the occupation and then the deportations to siberia and other things. so laser, i emphasize to sort of that to the, we would like to create a uniform in europe there. everybody can enjoy at least some standard, some on minority rights. and we have the lots of discussions with sounds like on youth and other friends from the baltic states, no reserves, but they, they supported this initiative of the fact that at so many minorities can cool. ave tate in a peaceful and constructive way like our minorities are doing here

a lot to. yeah, i think that is something which could be of great use for those members states who are not experiencing probably for the 1st time, the real difficulties of integration. this is not at this stage who has to say, oh, i did everything. so my minority, these they, they are okay. know as the minority, if they are happy with the situation they are living in the little scheme, which is it's become really difficult for russians here. but it's difficult to see yourself is representing a nation that is the aggress who to acknowledge the blame,

while also preserving your own sense of dignity. it's difficult to accept and understand all of that. today i'm a shame to be russian, but will never renounce my russian rates cutting me. know if someone asks me what nationality i am. i'll say i'm a lot to be in a tree at of russian defend junior college. and just a lot of people now have a very black and white view of thing. and you know, the, that's understandable. given that there's a war going on not far away. the last the ends of finding it difficult to distinguish russian russians from russian speakers in lot. seattle is that i send to understand that 30 years of independence might seem like a brief moment, but he's in fact a pretty long time watching cut off the competitors with the company. i'm going to send it in. you have to click on what the key when you see a little ski, we're not the same russians. we are lapse. the russians who showed that people have incorporated a lot of ball to experience the culture and the lot of latvia,

nationality of i sure, the identity of lab be as russians speaking, minorities changing, especially in the wake of the war and ukraine. the key question for the country now is whether society will put the shadow of the soviet legacy behind it and overcome any remaining differences. i would say that i still believe that the majority of the lottery is russian and speaking good citizens. they are loyal to luxury, but there are those who still are under the influence of what is profound. and let's say on peak social ideas. the secretary, okay. uh, by to, to both lengthy ends and russians and have noticed how any conflict between us is becoming less of an issue with each new generation takes the ups of diets,

a new entry in inches custom for cutting, you know, 20 or 30 years time. yeah. i don't think it will be a problem anymore and, but i thought there's still some more, but it will just disappear, of the time. cutting you such a story share from them. but you, elizabeth, i would love to see society moving closer together. i move full friendship between peoples. i'd love to be friends with a lot of it and i really hope that happens. i love life feelings and last year. yep . has to do a new generation has grown opposite the last 30 years. so i firmly believe that they and i young that to be in speaking russian generations will find a way of getting along with each other than that we in the older generation will consign all historical different says to the part story. the suit is story or the

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