LSM to end Russian-language output from January 2027

Latvian Public Media (LSM) will stop producing content in Russian from January 1, 2027, except in narrowly defined circumstances, board member Ieva Aile told LSM.

Latvia’s parliament, the Saeima, voted on October 1 to amend the law following a Constitutional Court ruling. Russian-language content will be allowed only during an emergency or state of exception, or to counter disinformation that threatens democracy and the Latvian state. Each case will be assessed separately.

Aile said the change would require staff layoffs. She also said LSM needed to keep improving its audience reach, particularly among minority communities and young people.

LSM’s television and radio services do not broadcast in Russian. Its LSM.lv portal has operated since this year as a unified Latvian-language news platform, with additional content in English, Ukrainian and Russian. LSM also reaches Russian-speaking audiences through social media, and its Russian-language YouTube channel has the public media group’s largest subscriber base.

The newly established LSM Latgale newsroom has also targeted Russian speakers in the region, producing specially adapted content since early 2026.

The Public Electronic Mass Media Council said further clarity on the policy would come in December, alongside the public service remit for the following year. The council had decided that LSM did not need to produce content in minority languages that were not self-sustaining, such as Polish, while English and Ukrainian content was required.