“Latvia has banned the import of books, newspapers and other printed materials from Russia and Belarus, citing ‘disinformation and war propaganda'” — its foreign ministry told AFP.
Latvia is the first EU member state to ban imports of Russian consumer goods, including books and print media. Decision of the Latvian government is a defense against Kremlin disinformation and hybrid warfare.
After parliament approved the import ban in July, the government has now set the date for its entry into force and finalized the list of affected product groups, the Foreign Ministry said.
The ban covers printed books, newspapers and other printed materials, clothing and other textile products, footwear, toys, games and sports equipment. In future, these items will no longer be permitted to be imported into the Baltic EU and NATO member state, even from third countries.
Human rights activists warn that the country has a significant Russian-speaking population, with around a quarter of Latvians identifying as ethnic Russian, who cannot get their daily media in their language.
Overall imports from Russia and Belarus have fallen roughly 91% since the war began. The Latvian Foreign Ministry said that books and printed materials remained until now one of the largest consumer import categories still flowing from Russia.
