At the initiative of the State Security Service, the Minister of Internal Affairs of Latvia placed Boris Katkov on the list of unwelcome persons in the country for "long-term and systematic work in favor of Russia". As a result of the measures that were taken, Katkov was expelled from Latvia.
According to Boris Katkovs, on January 10, he was given a letter signed by the Latvian Internal Affairs Minister recognizing him as a threat to national security. On the morning of January the 12th, border guards came to the man's house, giving him only an hour to pack his belongings, after which they escorted him to the border. That same evening, Katkov crossed the Russian border through the “Terekhovo/Burachki” crossing point in the Pskov region.
Open sources indicate that Boris Katkov arrived in Latvia in 1966. He initially held a position in the military commissariat in Cesisi, then in Daugavpils. He retired with the rank of colonel in 1991. In 1998 he received the status of a non-citizen of Latvia, and in 2000 he became a Russian citizen. Due to his age, the man was granted an exemption from the mandatory Latvian language exam.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova characterized the deportation of Boris Katkov as a "provocative" action aimed at "intimidating the Russian-speaking population of Latvia". The Russian Embassy in Latvia expressed dissatisfaction, describing Latvia's actions as "absolutely inhumane" because of the violation of the principle of "non-separation of family" - Katkov's wife, children and grandchildren remained in Latvia.
