The young man grew up in Latvian orphanages and, according to the version of the Citizenship Law in effect at that time, he was granted Latvian citizenship in his teenage years, which he considered his only citizenship, the program "De facto" reports. As reported by the LTV program "De facto", by the age of 25 he was supposed to renounce his "heritage" from his parents, that is, his Ukrainian citizenship, and since this was not done, the PMLP decided that it was necessary to revoke his Latvian citizenship, as dual citizenship with Ukraine is not allowed. The letter from the PMLP that Nikita Obozny received on October 15, 2025, came as a bolt from the blue. The institution informed him that an administrative case had been initiated against him regarding the deprivation of citizenship of the Republic of Latvia, as he is simultaneously a citizen of Ukraine. "The postwoman brought a registered letter. She handed me the registered letter, I signed for it, then opened it and saw what it was about. Then I read this registered letter, stating that I needed to provide explanations to the PMLP regarding the fact that I had not made the appropriate citizenship choice by the age of 25," Nikita recounts. The life story of 29-year-old Nikita Obozny is complex. He was born in Latvia. His father is a Latvian non-citizen, and his mother is Ukrainian. At not quite three years old, Nikita, along with his two sisters, ended up in an orphanage. At five years old, the Ukrainian embassy in Latvia issued a passport to Nikita. A few years later, his parents completely lost their parental rights. But a copy of the passport issued at the age of five is the only evidence of his connection to Ukraine. Nikita grew up in Latvian orphanages. From the age of 16, he lived in a youth center in Teika, where he not only learned to live independently but also, thanks to one of the caregivers who was a zemessargs, joined the Zemessardze as soon as he turned 18. Nikita's native language is Latvian, and he studied in Latvian schools. At that time, the Citizenship Law stipulated that children without parents living in an orphanage are citizens of Latvia. Accordingly, the orphanage took care of the formalities, and at the age of 13, Nikita was granted Latvian citizenship. Until the letter from the PMLP, he was confident that he only had Latvian citizenship. Later, the law was changed, and children could have citizenship of two countries, including Ukraine, but by the age of 25, they had to make a choice in favor of one of them (if the second was not on the list of permitted countries). "As soon as I turned 18, I was given the materials of my case in that child care institution and given a folder with all the files they had about me, and I accordingly received this file and just shoved it in a closet. I didn't look at it because at that age I was not interested in either my roots or the information they had accumulated about me," Nikita recalls that time. Nikita now has a family with two children. He works in the construction industry and is simultaneously acquiring skills as a cybersecurity specialist. When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, he resumed his service in the Zemessardze to be among the defenders of Latvia. He served a total of six years in the Zemessardze. "I realized: if a war starts in Latvia, I want to be useful and want to be prepared, not to panic and not understand what to do. Since I am in the Zemessardze, I know that I will be useful, I will have a task, and I won’t have to think about what to do — I will be given a task, and I must complete it," says Nikita. Nikita did not know and could not imagine that by the age of 25 he needed to make a choice to avoid losing his Latvian citizenship. The orphanage did not remind him of this, and the Citizenship and Migration Office also did not send any notifications. Moreover, at the age of 27, he was issued a new identity document by the PMLP without asking any questions. However, last year, two years later, the PMLP initiated a case, demanding within two weeks explanations or confirmation that he no longer held Ukrainian citizenship. No matter how much he wanted to renounce it, it was clear that it could not be done quickly; it might even take years. "We contacted the Ukrainian embassy in Latvia to clarify his citizenship status in Ukraine. Whether he has citizenship or not, to find out if at the time Nikita was granted Latvian citizenship, dual citizenship with Latvia could have existed — this is also an important circumstance. From the side of Ukraine and with the Ukrainian embassy, everything is happening very slowly," says Nikita Obozny's representative, assistant lawyer Viesturs Vitkovskis. Just a week after receiving the explanations, the PMLP decided — Nikita's Latvian citizenship needed to be revoked. He appealed the decision to the head of the PMLP, but she did not change it — the citizenship must be taken away. Ignorance of the law does not exempt from responsibility — this is one of the arguments put forward by the PMLP's public relations manager Madara Puke. The PMLP refuses to comment on the specific situation and wants to provide only a general comment on similar cases in general. "The law states that a person must inform the institution about which citizenship they choose. There have been cases when we indeed revoked citizenship later — this is related to our workload. And when the moment comes when we reach the case of a specific person, the law still applies. The law stipulates: if we have information that this person has citizenship with an unauthorized country, and the person has not made a choice, has not informed us that they have renounced citizenship of the unauthorized country, the law comes into effect, and Latvian citizenship is revoked. The sum of the parts does not change. The Office has no obligation to inform a person about this if it is stipulated by the law, which, by the way, is publicly available," says Puke. "While in the PMLP, in their main office located in Čiekurkalns — we, along with the lawyer, went for the materials of the case — I asked a direct question to the employee who seemingly signed the document that I received in registered form, and she replied to me... I asked her, isn't it your duty as a government institution to inform Latvian citizens about such an important decision? To which she replied that it is their goodwill, so I don’t understand why, to whom they serve if not to the citizens of the state, working in a government institution?" says Nikita. Now the decision has been appealed in court, and until the final court decision, Nikita still has the right to enjoy the rights of a citizen of the Republic of Latvia, including serving in the Zemessardze. He has also contacted the ombudsman's office, which, however, cannot influence the decision of the Office. But the office urged the PMLP not only to comply with proportionality but also to timely — at least two to three years in advance — remind about the need to renounce second citizenship. Because it is clear that this is not a quick process. "The state should — considering how small our population is, how many citizens we have, what the demographic situation is — still, taking into account the interests of the state, preserve this aggregate of citizens and increase it, rather than make decisions that actually reduce the number of these citizens. Therefore, we urged the PMLP and the Ministry of the Interior to actually act, to start timely informing these young people at least two to three years in advance," says legal advisor of the Civil and Political Rights Department of the ombudsman's office Santa Tivanenkova. According to PMLP representative Puke, due to unacceptable dual citizenship, at least one hundred young people lose their citizenship every year. Last year, there were even 250 such cases, the year before — 123 cases. The unacceptable citizenships that led to the revocation of Latvian citizenship were various, and Puke cites Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Israel, and others as examples. The PMLP claims in "De facto" that since 2013 it has been sending reminders to young people about the need to choose a single citizenship starting from the age of majority, when they are 18–20 years old (Nikita did not receive such a reminder). The response from the ombudsman's office states that the PMLP tries to do this within its capabilities. Zemessargs Nikita sought help by writing to the government. After the questions from "De facto", more attention was paid to the situation. Minister of the Interior Rihards Kozlovskis (New Unity) confirms that he asked to evaluate the specific case and acknowledges — it is atypical and serves as grounds for a decision on the exceptional preservation of citizenship. "If a person unequivocally expresses the will to retain Latvian citizenship, a possible solution option is evaluated, and if there is one, we will definitely initiate the process, which is a Cabinet of Ministers decision on the possible right to retain [Latvian citizenship]. Although the Citizenship Law formally regulates strictly, as the Citizenship Law states that dual citizenship is not allowed, of course, the cabinet has such political opportunities to make decisions," says Kozlovskis. The minister points out that he asked the PMLP to prepare broader information about similar situations in general that may arise in the future, to see how to preserve Latvian citizenship for people living here, as long as it is not related to any restrictions or information that would contradict this. According to information from the PMLP, in 2024 they sent informational letters (reminders) to more than five hundred (524) young people aged 18 to 25, registered in Latvia, who acquired dual citizenship at a minor age.