Russia summons Latvian ambassador over monuments demolition

Russia’s Foreign Ministry says that it has summoned the Latvian ambassador over what it said was the demolition of Soviet-era monuments.

“A strong protest was issued to the head of the Latvian diplomatic mission in connection with the ongoing policy of state vandalism in Latvia to dismantle Soviet memorials,” the foreign ministry said.

In August, Latvia took down a Soviet-era monument in its capital city Riga, despite protests from the Baltic state’s ethnic Russian minority to keep it.