Latvia opens probe after road signs to Russian cities defaced

Several road signs in Latvia directing motorists toward the Russian cities of Moscow and Ostrov have been painted over, with police opening a criminal investigation into the damage, LSM reported.

The signs were discovered in damaged condition on September 21. Authorities have not yet determined when they were altered.

“Several painted-over road signs were noticed, concealing directions to the Russian cities of Moscow and Ostrov,” LSM reported.

Latvian State Roads, the state-owned company responsible for the country’s road infrastructure, said it had not authorised the signs to be altered and referred the matter to law enforcement.

Latgale police confirmed that they had received a complaint concerning damage to property belonging to another party. A criminal case was opened under Part One of Article 185 of Latvia’s Criminal Law on suspicion of intentional destruction or damage to property. The investigation remains ongoing.

The incident comes after Latvian authorities discussed in June whether references to Russian and Belarusian cities should be removed from road signs. At that time, however, no separate decision was taken to replace signs that were already in place.

By Tamilla Hasanova