Latgale border towns struggle with depopulation, LSM report finds

Latvian border towns’ main problem is emptiness, LSM reported in a Latvian Television programme examining everyday life in Latgale, a region affected by various social and economic difficulties. The programme “Aizliegtais paņēmiens” also looked at life near Russia, rather than focusing on drones or border security.

Latvia’s border with Russia is nearly 300 kilometres long. The report visited several towns and villages in the eastern part of the country, including Viļaka, Kuprava, Baltinava, Kārsava, Goliševa, Mērdzene, Ludza and Zilupe.

Viļaka relies on local businesses

Viļaka is about eight kilometres from Russia and has around 1,100 residents. It is a small town where storks can outnumber people.

Residents Santa and Alvis are entrepreneurs and have developed the area around Lake Viļaka. They have created the Ezertūre recreation site, including holiday cabins for visitors. Their family also includes 10-month-old Aloīzs.

Santa said the first reports about drones had felt strange and had also affected their business. The number of guests in June fell by about one-third compared with the same month a year earlier. However, they do not receive tourists from Russia, and the border itself does not frighten them.

Alvis said he works several fields along the Russian border. On the Latvian side, the fields are maintained, mown and cultivated, while across the border there is only a swamp.

Looking to the future, the couple trust Latvia’s defence capabilities and its allies on security matters. They also expect the town to become increasingly empty. Their son Aloīzs will most likely attend school in Balvi, a nearby town.

Kuprava reflects decline

Kuprava is about 20 kilometres from Russia and has around 200 residents. The small village combines evidence of past prosperity with its present decline.

During the Soviet period, a large drainage-pipe factory was built there, along with a railway line that transported the pipes directly to Soviet Russia. The factory employed more than 2,000 people, and the village had apartment buildings and a large school.

Only the factory ruins remain. The school’s windows have been bricked up to prevent vandalism.