The Security Service of Latvia (VDD) has decided to ban Russian historian Valery Engel from entering the country indefinitely. Engel has actively promoted pro-Kremlin narratives in Latvia and other European Union countries for over ten years. From now on, Engel, who has lived in Riga since 2008, is included in the country’s “black list” of residents.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Engel’s Activities and Funding from Moscow
Journalists from the program “Schemes” published an investigation revealing that Valery Engel received funding for his research on “discrimination” and “persecution of Russians” in the EU and Ukraine directly from Moscow. Specifically, the funds came from the Russian state organization “Pravfond,” which, under the guise of providing legal assistance to compatriots abroad, promotes the Kremlin’s interests worldwide. Engel himself denied receiving Russian funds after 2022 in a comment to “Schemes,” but journalists provided evidence contradicting his statements.
In its response, the Latvian security service emphasized that Engel “regularly spread Kremlin propaganda narratives,” claiming alleged “Russophobia,” “aggressive nationalism,” and “the revival of Nazism” in Latvia and other countries.
“According to VDD, Mr. Engel has long and systematically participated in the implementation of Russia’s non-military operations for influence and justification of Russia’s aggressive foreign policy,” the security service stated in a written comment to the Latvian publication Re:Baltica, a partner of “Schemes” in this investigation.
Connections to “Pravfond” and New Investigation Data
Following the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, VDD notes that Engel not only maintained close ties with the aggressor state but also continued to participate in activities aimed at justifying Russian aggression and discrediting European countries on the international stage.
The “Schemes” investigation uncovered even closer cooperation between Engel and Moscow. Through analysis and verification of leaked documents from “Pravfond,” journalists established that since 2022, Engel had applied to this fund for financing at least three times. In particular, in November 2022, he requested 22,400 euros for research on extremism and xenophobia in Europe, and in September 2023, he sought 1,230 euros for presenting results at the OSCE human rights conference in Warsaw. Both applications, according to the leak, were approved and funded by “Pravfond.”
In 2024, Engel also requested 41,000 euros for research on “Russophobia” in Ukraine and EU countries; however, journalists note that such a report has not yet been published in the public domain.
Earlier, in 2023, Engel published another report funded by “Pravfond,” dedicated to issues of xenophobia. This report particularly focused on Ukraine, where the authors claimed there were persecutions of the Russian church and a rise in right-wing radical movements. One of the co-authors of the study is Ukrainian political scientist Ruslan Bortnik. Similar reports, co-authored by Engel and Bortnik, have been published since 2015.