Nil Ushakov called his removal from the post of mayor of Riga an illegal decision. He promised to challenge it in court. “My Riga voters made me mayor, and only they can fire me, and not Puce and other political midgets!” – Ushakov wrote on the Telegram channel. According to him, the list of violations for which he was held responsible “is an attempt to find minor violations of procedure.” “Including the reproach that the response to the minister was sent by regular mail, and not electronically,” Ushakov noted. He recalled that in the Riga City Council elections in 2017, Latvian Minister of Regional Development Juris Puce, who decided to resign, received about 5,000 votes from Riga residents. “I received 105,000. For 10 years, they have never managed to defeat me in a fair, open and democratic struggle,” added Ushakov.

Puce’s order to remove Ushakov due to violation of the Law “On Local Governments” was previously published by the government publication Latvijas Vеstnesis. The order listed the violations that Ushakov committed as mayor. They relate to the city’s relationship with the transport company Rigas satiksme. In particular, Ushakov was held responsible for the company’s unreliable reporting regarding the amount of budget investments in it. Putse Ushakov can appeal the decision in court within 30 days.

On January 30, employees of the Bureau for the Prevention and Combating of Corruption of Latvia conducted searches in Ushakov’s office and home. The searches were carried out in connection with a criminal case related to Rigas satiksme. Ushakov himself said that he did not commit illegal or criminal acts. The mayor has not officially faced any charges. On March 21, the Ministry of Regional Development initiated an audit of the work of the Riga City Council and Ushakov. Based on the results of the inspection, the department asked the mayor to provide clarifications on a number of possible violations of laws within seven days. These explanations did not satisfy the department, and Putse decided to remove Ushakov.

Ushakov is an ethnic Russian, his father is from Kronstadt. In the elections to the Latvian Seimas in 2018, his party “Consent”, which enjoys the support of the Russian-speaking population of Latvia, won. Ushakov served as mayor of Riga for almost ten years - from July 2009.

Ushakov commented on his removal from the post of mayor of Riga