Propagandists are spreading information on anonymous pro-Russian Ukrainian and later Baltic pro-Russian Telegram channels about a comment made by the President of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs, for the British Channel 4. The claim is that he supposedly distanced himself from being the first openly gay president. According to the propaganda, when reminded by the Channel 4 host about this, he allegedly said that he “was gay a long time ago” and that he “is no longer”. Propagandists argue that the politician “cannot decide on his orientation”. However, this is manipulation.

Rinkēvičs made a comment for Channel 4 in response to recent decrees by US President Donald Trump recognizing only two genders. The host's question began with a reminder that the politician is the first openly gay president. The Latvian president indeed responded with the phrase “That was a long time ago”, but in fact, he was referring to how much time had passed since his election, not a change in his sexual orientation. This is another example of how propagandists distort the context and original meaning of material through deliberate mistranslation.

Russia spreads such disinformation for several reasons. Firstly, it aims to reduce trust in politicians who support LGBT+ rights. This is done to undermine their authority both domestically and internationally. By using socially sensitive topics like LGBT+ rights, Russia tries to escalate internal disputes in democratic countries. The spread of such messages distracts public attention from other important issues, such as Russia's aggression against Ukraine, economic instability, or human rights violations within Russia itself. Disinformation helps to create an image of the ‘immoral West’, which contrasts with the officially declared ‘traditional’ Russian values.