http://www.ludzasforums.lv/news-1/ LUDZAS FORUMS - NEWS http://www.ludzasforums.lv/news-1/params/post/5302335/who-is-investing-in-infrastructure-for-cooperation-with-russia Wed, 02 Sep 2026 14:24:00 +0000 The Central Statistical Bureau publishes data once a month on companies that export and import goods with Russia and Belarus. The list of “companies of concern” is publicly available, and anyone interested can view it on the resources maintained by the Statistical Bureau. However, a group of companies that provide the infrastructure for these “dealers” with Russia and Belarus remains in the shadows. Government agencies are reluctant to publicly shame them, as they may be linked to political forces.<p>Latvia is a country on the European Union’s external border through which goods are imported from and exported to Russia and Belarus. Meanwhile, the Ludza region in Latvia is the only border crossing area through which the flow of cargo to and from the Russian Federation actually takes place. The Terehova and Grebneva border crossing points are state-built and state-maintained infrastructure that, in the fifth year of the war, serves “shameful companies.”&nbsp;Shortly before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Latvian government began modernizing the Grebņeva RKP. Currently, this modernization project is being presented as a matter of national security—it is intended to increase the capacity of border guard and customs services.&nbsp;However, in 2021, when the project was launched, the announcements read as follows: “The State Real Estate Agency (hereinafter referred to as VNĪ) is launching a new project—the modernization of the “Grebņeva” border crossing point (BCP) “Grebņeva,” which WILL MAKE CROSSING THE BORDER EASIER AND FASTER.”&nbsp;Based on the available public information, it cannot be concluded that the technical design for the modernization was significantly altered after the war began.</p><p>Alongside the state-led Grebneva RKP project, private entrepreneurs are also investing in logistics infrastructure.&nbsp;Along the route to Russia, new parking lots are being built and existing ones expanded so that those who support the Russian economy can do so conveniently and comfortably. In Kārsava and Nesteros in Malnava Parish, these parking lots are managed by legal entities associated with Oskars Petinens (ZZS), a member of the Ludza District Council. One of these is ZS “Debessvītoli,” registered in Mērdzene Parish, whose sole owner is Oskars Petinens.&nbsp;People associated with ZZS also provide parking, cafes, showers, and other services to those financing Russian aggression at the Terehova RKP parking lot. An advertising banner for Valdis Maslovskis, a ZZS candidate for the Saeima, is displayed on a building in Ludza (across from the Maxima store), where the beneficial owner of the company that manages the Terehova parking lot operates.&nbsp;The question remains: Why does the state condemn individual businesspeople who cooperate with Russia and Belarus, while at the same time promoting infrastructure development for cooperation with an aggressor state? It would also be worth investigating the extent to which the ZZS influences government decisions regarding the decision not to close the border to the import and export of goods with Russia, since this directly affects the interests of companies linked to ZZS lawmakers?&nbsp;The latest reports indicate that Russia is increasing grain transit through Latvia. Exporting goods to Russia means more money to fuel the war machine.</p><p><br></p>