According to the Latvian public broadcaster LSM, the country’s parliament, Saeima, issued a statement on Aug. 11 in which they recognize Russian violence against civilians in Ukraine as terrorism and Russia as a country sponsoring terrorism.
Saeima also called on the EU countries to “immediately suspend the issuance of tourism and entry visas to Russian and Belarusian citizens,” LSM reported citing the statement.
President Volodymyr Zelensky called on the world to label Russia as a terrorist state on July 30, following its attack on the Olenivka prisoner camp in Donetsk Oblast, in which at least 50 Ukrainian prisoners were killed on July 29.
Russia blamed Ukraine for the attack but presented no proof. Ukraine and its Western partners say that the attack was organized by Russia.
“In order to achieve the objectives of its illegal, aggressive war, Russia aims to intimidate and demoralize Ukrainian people and armed forces, to paralyze the state's capacity — to occupy Ukraine, that is, Russia implements this violence for political purposes,” said Rihards Kols, Chairman of the Saeima Foreign Affairs Commission, as quoted by LSM.
