Mamikins has been put on European wanted persons' list

RIGA - At the end of June, the International Cooperation Division of the Prosecutor General's Office issued a European arrest warrant against former Latvian MEP Andrejs Mamikins, who is accused of glorifying and justifying war crimes committed by the aggressor state in Ukraine, LETA learned from the prosecutor's office.

The decision was sent to the State Police which has to enter it in the information systems of international cooperation.

Given that Mamikins is unreachable, his criminal case is currently suspended.

Mamikins is still active on social networks. Over the weekend, he posted photos of sunsets and claimed that he "managed to visit my beloved Latvia for a few days".

The State Security Service told LETA that after inspecting information on Mamikins' post, the service concluded that Mamikins has not been in Latvia and the post has been put up just as a provocation.

As reported, the prosecutor's office decided in the second half of June to open criminal proceedings against Mamikins, who fled to Russia.

The State Security Service in September 2023 opened criminal proceedings against former politician Andrejs Mamikins for alleged glorification and justification of crimes committed by the aggressor state Russia in Ukraine.

The criminal proceedings against Mamikins were initiated after the service assessed his recent statements on several pro-Kremlin Russian television channels and social media.

The State Security Service established that in some of his remarks Mamikins expressed support and praised the war started by Russia in Ukraine.

Mamikins told Kremlin propaganda outlets that he had moved from Latvia to Russia "so that his sons did not have to participate in gay parades". In the interview, Latvia's ex-politician called Russia's invasion of Ukraine a 'special operation', using the term preferred by Kremlin propaganda, and said that the dismantled Soviet monuments would be restored in Latvia.

Mamikins also slammed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, claiming that "black bags" were displayed in the Ukrainian town of Bucha after the Ukrainian forces flushed out the Russian invaders.

Mamikins also said that Russia is pursuing a great and sacred cause in Ukraine.

According to information available in LETA Archive, Mamikins was born in 1976. He holds a master's degree in philology from the University of Latvia. Mamikins worked as a journalist for several years.

In 2014, he was elected to the European Parliament on the ticket of the social-democratic party Harmony. In 2018, he ran in Saeima elections on the ticket of Latvia's Russian Union, but did not make it to the parliament.

In 2021, Mamikins started working at the State Labor Inspectorate as head of strategic communications, but was dismissed during his probationary period.