The State Security Service of Latvia detained Marat Kasem, the former editor-in-chief of the Russian propaganda agency Sputnik Lietuva. He is suspected of violating EU sanctions.
Delfi writes about it.
In Latvia, Kasem is believed to have provided economic resources to sanctioned Russian propaganda media. Kasem himself has Latvian citizenship and was detained on January 3.
In 2018, Kasem ran in the elections to the Diet from the "For an Alternative" party association. He was listed as a journalist in the Kremlin propaganda media "Russia Segodnya". The Security Service of Latvia noted that he still works there and holds a management position, organizing and managing content creation.
Kasem used to be the editor-in-chief of Sputnik Lietuva, but in 2019 Lithuania expelled him from the country and banned him from entering the country for five years.
In recent years, Kasem regularly visited Russia, where he participated in various Russian propaganda programs, including after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. At the end of 2022, Kasem came to Latvia.