The Latvian government has taken a clear step against Valeriy Engel, banning his entry into the country for an indefinite period. VDD, the Latvian security service, has placed this resident on the ‘blacklist’ for promoting pro-Kremlin narratives he had spread in the region over the years.
On March 3, an investigation conducted by the Schemes program journalists in collaboration with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reveals how funding for research on discrimination and the discrediting of the Russian-speaking population in the EU and Ukraine reached Engel. According to the publication, he has lived in Riga since 2008 and channelled funds through the Russian organization Pravfond – a foundation operating under the guise of legal aid to compatriots abroad and advancing Moscow’s interests on the international stage. Engel denied receiving Russian funding after 2022, despite the journalists’ evidence.
In response to the journalists’ inquiry, the Latvian security service asserted that Engel regularly spread Kremlin propaganda narratives, including about the dominance of ‘Russophobia’, ‘aggressive nationalism’, and the ‘revival of Nazism’ in Latvia and other countries.
«According to VDD, Mr. Engel, through his activities over a long period of time and systematically, took part in Russia’s non-military influence operations and justifications of Russia’s aggressive foreign policy», – the security service wrote in a written comment to the Latvian outlet Re:Baltica, a Schemes partner in this investigation.
– Latvian Security Service (VDD)
The agency also emphasized that after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine Engel continued to maintain close ties with Russia and took part in activities aimed at justifying Russia’s aggressive foreign policy and discrediting European countries at the international level.
Journalists from Schemes also investigated even closer ties between Engel and Moscow. According to a leak from the Pravfond foundation, Engel applied for funding three times since 2022: in November 2022 – €22,400 for research on extremism and xenophobia in Europe, in September 2023 – €1,230 for presenting this topic at the OSCE human rights conference in Warsaw. Both requests were approved and funded by the foundation, Schemes reports.
In 2024 Engel asked Pravfond for another €41,000 for research on russophobia in Ukraine and the EU, but journalists did not find any public responses to such a submission in the public arena.
An earlier report on xenophobia, funded by Pravfond, that Engel published in fall 2023. The Schemes investigation states that Ukraine was the focus of the material – addressing issues of the Russian church’s oppression and the rise of right-wing movements; among the co-authors was Ukrainian political scientist Ruslan Bortnik. Similar works, where Engel co-authors with Bortnik, have been published since 2015.
Context and consequences for the participants in the investigation
The entry ban on Valeriy Engel underscores Latvia’s and the EU’s efforts to curb the influence of pro-Kremlin narratives and ensure transparency in funding for such research. The Schemes investigation continues to reveal financial and political links between Russian funds and the responsible European institutions.