TV presenter Lera Kudryavtseva weighed in on Chulpan Khamatova’s remarks about the controversial demolition in Riga, where a monument honoring Soviet soldiers-liberators had been torn down. Kudryavtseva shared a string of pointed messages on his Telegram channel, expressing strong disagreement with the actress’s stance and conveying personal dismay over the situation.
“I watched this interview excerpt and found myself staring at the screen for what felt like ages. Have I not heard all of this before? The reaction left me sick, and I had to stop myself from swearing”, Kudryavtseva wrote. He described the actress’s appearance as incongruous with the gravity of the moment and warned that the victory symbolized by the monument’s removal might be interpreted as a betrayal of historical memory. He questioned whether references to well-known poets could be used to stoke national security concerns in Latvia.
In a Russian-language interview with a Latvian radio broadcaster, Khamatova suggested that the destroyed monument, which had been removed in August 2022, had been seized or appropriated by Russian authorities. She avoided commenting on the separate case of the monument to the poet Alexander Pushkin in Riga and admitted she did not understand why the poet’s memory could be perceived as a threat to Latvia’s national security.
The actor left Russia after the onset of the special operation in Ukraine and has since settled in Latvia, where she has been performing at the New Riga Theater. Her past statements and ongoing career have kept her in the public eye as opinions about historical monuments in Riga continue to provoke strong reactions.
Earlier, Chulpan Khamatova publicly supported the removal of the monument to Soviet soldiers in Riga, a position that has been the subject of intense debate and criticism among various audiences and political figures in the region. The evolving discourse surrounding memorials in Riga reflects broader tensions over history, memory, and national identity in Latvia and beyond. The differing perspectives surrounding these monuments illustrate how cultural figures can become focal points in debates about history and sovereignty, especially in contexts where past narratives intersect with current political realities and regional security concerns. (Source attribution: regional media and public statements cited in coverage of the event)