Riga, 12 February 2024 (dpa/MIA) - Latvia's security services have launched an investigation into a member of the European Parliament, Tatjana Zdanoka, over what a local media report described as possible contacts with the Russian secret service FSB.

In the television programme, which was broadcast on Sunday evening, Zdanoka confirmed she had spoken to the Latvian security services, but said that she had promised to keep details of the discussion confidential.

Zdanoka, who has been a member of the European Parliament since 2004 and is not currently a member of any parliamentary grouping, denied the allegations of contacts with the FSB.

Another leading member of her party, the Russian Union of Latvia, was also questioned by the authorities.

The report claimed that Zdanoka had been commissioned by the Russian secret service to promote a pro-Kremlin mood in the Baltic states. It said that leaked emails showed that the politician, who repeatedly openly advocated Russian positions, was mentored by two different agents from at least 2004 to 2017.

The authorities' hands are partly tied in the investigation because most of the published correspondence dates from before 2016. At that time, supporting a foreign state was not punishable under Latvia's criminal law - an amendment to the law only came into force in 2016.

The European Parliament has launched an investigation into Zdanoka. In a resolution adopted on Thursday, EU lawmakers expressed their "utter indignation and deep concern about Russia's ongoing efforts to undermine democracy in the EU."

Photo: MIA archive