A pro-Russian activist from Latvia who moved to Russia was tricked into fighting in the war against Ukraine

Sergei Mulivanov, who emigrated to Russia in 2024 because he disagreed with Latvia’s policies, was forced to sign a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense while in a Moscow detention center. He is currently believed to be on the front lines, and all contact with him has been lost.

According to the publication “Ostrozhno, Novosti,” in April 2026, Mulivanov was arrested on suspicion of acting as a “dropper”—transporting money stolen by fraudsters. According to his relatives, he himself was a victim of a fraudulent scheme.

 On October 30, he was sent to the military. Before that, he managed to tell his family that he was being taken to Rostov-on-Don. His relatives claim that the 59-year-old man has diabetes and polyneuropathy and is unfit for military service.

Previously, Mulivanov actively supported the Kremlin, made pro-Russian statements, and accused the Latvian government of oppressing the Russian-speaking population. In 2025, he even claimed to have personally participated in recruiting Latvian residents to fight in the war against Ukraine.

On the night of November 2, an air raid alert was issued in Latvia due to an unidentified drone. The object crashed in the Balvi region near the border with Russia, after which ground search operations began there.

The Latvian Prosecutor’s Office stated that migrants on the Belarusian side of the border may have been forced to damage infrastructure on Latvian territory if they did not pay for illegally crossing the border. 

At the border between Latvia and Belarus, armed and camouflaged men escorted at least 20 migrants as they attempted to illegally cross the Latvian state border. The incident was reported by Latvian Interior Minister Jānis Dombravs and the country’s armed forces.