Foto: BB.LV / Браже
"War begins not only on the battlefield. It begins with lies, disinformation, and attempts to manipulate people's consciousness, divide society, rewrite history, and undermine national self-determination," emphasized the minister. According to Braže, Latvia's historical experience demonstrates the importance of the struggle for truth. The Soviet occupation was masked by staged elections and fabricated "will of the people," while the occupying regime suppressed Latvian self-determination for decades and attempted to erase national memory. Russia employs similar methods in its aggressive war against Ukraine. Russia's strikes on Ukrainian shrines, museums, archives, libraries, and UNESCO World Heritage sites are not merely infrastructure destruction, but targeted attacks on historical memory, cultural heritage, and the identity of the Ukrainian people, noted Braže. She also accused Russia and Belarus of attempting to use UNESCO and other international organizations to justify crimes, spread disinformation, and gain legitimacy. In the minister's view, countries that consciously destroy others' cultural heritage and human lives should not hold leadership positions in international organizations. Speaking about AI, Braže noted that new technologies help preserve, digitize, and make cultural heritage accessible, but they can also be used to manipulate information. Therefore, education, culture, media literacy, and critical thinking are today the most important means of protecting society, she emphasized.
