On the 2nd August 1992 a group of Russian/Soviet paratroopers had assembled a drunken party in Riga. They behaved in a disorderly way, littering the ground with garbage and insulting Latvian passerbys. The police was called in. The policemen tried to persuade Russian paratroopers to stop partying and go away. The paratroopers obeyed initially, but seeing the restraint of the policemen, started to act ever more pugnaciously. After boarding a commuter train, they broke a window, which was an obvious crime; it was a signal for the police to act…
VDV air assault and reconnaissance brigades are the elite units of Soviet and Russian military. They are the most politically indoctrinated and reliable units of the government. Their expressions of hostility and aggressive behavior towards the newly independent Latvian state was an expression of the official Russian position, not their private attitude.
This episode is especially valuable because it shows the behavioral style that Russians exercised in Baltic states since they occupied this land in 1940. It is also helpful to understand the worries the Baltic peoples have at the prospect of yet again having to endure a Russian occupation. It is why any alternative is considered a better option and NATO membership as the only guarantee against Russian threat.
Note on the translation: only Russian speech is translated. The policemen speak partly in Russian, partly in Latvian.
What speak Russian soldiers is in red; what speak Latvian policemen is in blue.