Is Eastern Latvia safe?
 

My great-grandfather with my same last name grew up in Ludza in Eastern Latvia. It is on google maps. In Ludza I am going to see if I can find his grave, see the local history museum, pass the house he grew up in, whatever random streets and lakes, and so on. My trip is in July. My itinerary is:
1 night on the plane
3 nights in Vilnius, Lithuania
1 night in Trakai
3 nights in Kaunas
3 nights in Riga
2 nights in Ludza
3 nights in Riga again

If this matters I am a single man. This will be a solo trip. I an 42 now. In my adult life I have already went to different parts of Europe 6 times, Mexico, Peru in South America; and various cities in the United States solo 5 times, twice solo to Canada. I want to think my trip will be safe enough. My mother is horrified at me. For comparison, my mother freaked out before I went to Spain in March 2022. She first complained that I would get coronavirus, but then she switched to saying the Ukraine war means Europe is unsafe. On Friday she whined that (I am summarizing): Spain is different. That is Western Europe. You are going to Eastern Europe! Russia could invade anytime! You are nuts. If you had any sense, you would know it is not safe to travel to any country bordering Russia!... I don't need to look at the US department of state's recommendations!...

Is my mom right and everybody else is wrong? Or is everybody else right and my mom is wrong?

Yeah I know that almost nobody goes to Eastern Latvia. What are the actual chances Russia will try annexing or bombing or invading the Baltic countries in July?

Will I have a more problem with the US officials when I leave or return to Michigan compared to previous trips?

Yes I understand that my worry about my mom's reaction is stupid but her reactions are my biggest anxiety or problem in planning travel. I need to avoid feeling like I am doing something terribly wrong. My mom freaks out before every time I travel and I logically know I shouldn't need to post this thread.

A dear friend has just returned from an extended trip through the Baltic countries including Latvia and raved about the journey. He found it safe, with friendly inhabitants and much history. Slip your mother a little something to relax her and enjoy your trip!

"What are the actual chances Russia will try annexing or bombing or invading the Baltic countries in July?" Vladimir Putin is the only one that can answer that question.

Firstly Latvia is lovely, people a little dour at time but interesting, we enjoyed our time there.

Worrying about Russia invading, well, they kind of hand their hands full at the moment fighting Ukraine. So while the mumbler in chief (Putin) talks a big game he, and more to the point, his economy/army is not ready for a war with NATO (with or without the US).

Then why choose July to invade, normally Russia prefers to get the harvest in before killing people. August, through to February is their normal target. But the Pentagon will know.

Well, no-one knows what Russia will do, but recently there has been talk of Russia potentially invading the Baltic states. If they did, it would trigger off the NATO accord and Russia would be at war with the whole of Europe, the US and Canada. It would be a huge risk for Russia. But discussion of it keeps bubbling up. Much more likely is drone activity or a stray missile rather than a full-blown attack. There have even been unidentified drones over Brussels Airport that are believed to have come from pro-Russian sources. I don't think your mum is crazy, I would not be so hot on visiting east Latvia myself right now. But western Europe, including Spain - no problem for me, I don't think the risk is huge there. Others may have a more informed viewpoint than mine.

Lavandula

Russians tell since years that they want to conquer Western Europe up to Lisboa.
For the moment, Putin is busy with killing civilians and bombing hospitals and kindergardens in Ukraina.
If he really would try to envade the Baltics, whole Europe would become unsafe. London and Paris too.

BTW: Here in Switzerland, we are used to see Russian drones over important electrical power trasnformation stations, marshallling yards, civil and military airports, railway hubs, arms factories, etc.
But tht doesn't mean that Switzerland will be agressed tomorrow.

Ukraine is not part of NATO or the EU, while Latvia is both. Of course that doesn't guarantee anything, but it makes it far less likely that an invasion will occur.

Last year I spent about a week in Finland, which shares a much longer border with Russia than Latvia. Some people thought I was crazy to visit any country that borders Russia. I couldn't convince them that I would be OK, so instead I promised them that if the Russians line up at the border, I will go straight to the airport.

There's really no place in the world where our safety is a sure thing. In any country there can always be an invasion from a hostile nation, a terrorist attack, a pandemic, etc. Just live your life and do what you enjoy.

PS The Baltic states are high on my list of things to do in the next couple of years.

OK -- haven't we had this sort of discussion before prior to some of your earlier trips?? She was wrong then and she's wrong now. (BTW -- don't let your mother see lavandlula's post above -- that will just reinforce her fears)

I was in Latvia and Lithuania 2 years ago and it was perfectly safe. I have a friend who I’ve known for over 30 years who lives in Kaunas and she lives with the possibility of Russia invading every day but doesn’t let that stop her.

I had a great time and really enjoyed Riga. I walked around with a friend and wasn’t bothered. The people were very friendly so while anything is possible, I would still go without hesitation. I would just caution to use your common sense and of course stay away from big crowds gathering.

Thanks for your input. My mom freaks out before every time I travel far from home, every time I plan a trip I consider not telling my parents, I see them too frequently, and I have a maladaptive relationship with my highly anxious mother and her reasons why a trip is unsafe changes for each trip. She has never taken a plane flight. She has only traveled by car to Ontario, Canada, and a few States in the United States. I wanted to see whether others think my mother is likely to be right by accident. I suspect that my biggest risks are disease (I had a disease that affected my digestive tract in Seville, Spain, and In Lima, Peru), loss of a credit or debit card, tripping and falling in the cemetery, trouble finding my rental car after I leave the rental car counter, heart attack (my great-grandfather with my same last name had a heart attack and dropped dead 6 weeks before he would have turned 40 and I keep pretending dying is not a thing).

The heart attacks that killed people years ago are often survivable now - I often muse on that in thinking of people long gone. Doubtless you see a doctor and they have done angiograms, blood tests, etc. If not, maybe great-grandpa would urge you to do so :)

Lavandula

+1.