The presence of Mārtiņš Staķis, the Mayor of Rīga, at the opening of the LGBTQ-friendly club Skapis has alarmed Kremlin propagandists. As on other occasions, they distorted the news and added completely fabricated claims to create more resonance. In this case, they claimed that Staķis, who allegedly inaugurated the “gay club”, has decided to close the Russian Theatre and rename Wagner Street (Vāgnera iela) because of its similarity to the name of a Russian combat unit. Neither Staķis nor anyone else is planning to close the Riga Russian Theatre, and no one is planning to rename Wagner Street.
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