In 1991, after 50 years of Soviet occupation, Latvia regained independence. The majority of the Russians, who had entered Latvia after the Second World War, had never learned Latvian and their view of history was often fundamentally different from the new political realities. To remain fully fledged citizens of the new state these Russians had to pass a citizenship test. This was not welcomed. More significantly – the Russian speaking community felt threatened and are beginning to depict themselves as oppressed. Where does truth now lie? Who is the victim, who the criminal?
