This larger-than-life red granite statue of three riflemen was created by Latvian sculptor Valdis Albergs in 1971. Dzintars Driba and Gunars Lusis-Grinbergs were the architects of the monument. The three riflemen, in long coats and hats, are facing outward with their backs to one another. The following inscription is on the base of the statue:
LATVIESU
STRELNIEKI
1915-1920
[ENGLISH TRANSLATION]
For the Latvian
Riflemen
1915-1920
The following information about the Latvian Riflemen and the controversy surrounding them is from the InYourPocket website:
"In the centre of Old Riga stands a controversial red granite statue that was originally dedicated to the Latvian Red Riflemen, some of whom became Lenin's personal bodyguards. Some view the monument as a symbol of the old communist system and would love to tear it down. Others believe it's a necessary tribute to Latvians who fought in the early years of WWI. It now honours all Latvian riflemen, both Whites and Reds. Politics aside, it's an impressive monument."
The following additional information about the Latvian Riflemen is from Wikipedia:
"Latvian riflemen (Latvian: Latviešu strelnieki) were originally a military formation of the Imperial Russian Army assembled starting 1915 in Latvia in order to defend Baltic territories against Germans in World War I. Initially the battalions were formed by volunteers, and from 1916 by conscription among the Latvian population. A total of about 40,000 troops were drafted into the Latvian Riflemen Division.
World War I
From 1915 to 1917, the Latvian Riflemen fought in the Russian army against the Germans in positions along the Daugava river. In 1916 Latvian battalions were transformed to regiments as conscription started among the local population. Also many new riflemen units were formed. In total eight combat and one reserve regiment were formed. In December 1916 and January 1917, the Latvian riflemen suffered heavy casualties in the month-long Christmas Battles, which began with a surprise attack on German positions during Christmas. Suffering heavy casualties, Latvian riflemen managed to break the German line of defence but the effort was wasted as the attack was not followed through. The Russian Army lost over 26,000 soldiers in the failed attack. The casualties included 9,000 Latvian riflemen, about a third of the total number at that time. The heavy casualties resulted in a strong resentment against the Russian generals and the Tsar among the riflemen. This resentment led to an increased support for the Bolsheviks, who were advocating an end to the war.
Red Latvian Riflemen
In May 1917 the Latvian Regiments transferred their loyalty to the Bolsheviks. They became known as Red Latvian Riflemen (Latvian: Latviešu sarkanie strelnieki) and actively participated in the Russian Civil War. The Riflemen took an active part in the suppression of anti-Bolshevik uprisings in Moscow and Yaroslavl in 1918. They fought against Estonia, Denikin, Yudenich, and Wrangel. After victory in Oryol-Kromy operation against Denikin in October 1919 division of Latvian Riflemen received the highest military recognition of that time: the Honorable Red Flag of VTsIK. Jukums Vacietis, formerly a colonel in the Latvian Rifles became the first commander-in-chief of the Red Army.
The Latvian Red Riflemen were instrumental in the attempt to establish Soviet rule in Latvia in 1919. They suffered great losses of personnel due to the decreasing popularity of Bolshevik ideas among the Latvian Riflemen and Latvians generally, and the majority were re-deployed to other fronts of the Russian Civil War. The remaining forces of the Red Army in Latvia were defeated by Baltic German volunteers under General von der Goltz and newly formed Latvian units initially under Colonel Kalpaks and later under Colonel Janis Balodis, who were loyal to the Latvian Republic in western Latvia; by the Estonian Army including the North Latvian Brigade, and finally by a joint campaign of the Polish and new Latvian army in Latgale, south-eastern Latvia.
Following the 1920 peace treaty between Latvia and Bolshevist Russia, 11,395 former Red Riflemen returned to Latvia.
Other former Riflemen remained in Soviet Russia and rose to leadership positions in the Red Army, Bolshevik party, and Cheka. Many, however, were later executed or imprisoned (often dying in GULag camps) during the Great Purges, when most "old guard" Bolsheviks and high-ranking military and intelligence officers (as well as many intellectuals) were persecuted by Stalin as potential rivals or traitors. When the USSR occupied Latvia in 1940, many of the surviving Red Riflemen returned to Latvia.
It should be noted that the most famous pre-World War II Soviet Communist leaders from Latvia were not from the Red Riflemen: Martin Latsis, Yakov Peters, Arvids Pelše, Janis Berzinš, Yan Rudzutak, Peteris Stucka, Robert Eikhe. All of them, except for Stucka (who died in 1932) and Pelše, perished in the Great Purges of 1937–1940.
White Latvian Riflemen
In 1917, a smaller number of Latvian Riflemen, mostly officers, sided against the Bolsheviks. Officers such as Karlis Goppers and Fridrihs Briedis tried to prevent Bolshevik ideas from spreading among the Latvian soldiers. The bloody Christmas and January battles impeded their efforts to fight against bolshevik ideology. Opponents of Bolshevism either left or were forced to leave military service, or joined the White forces. During the last phase of the Civil War, two Latvian units were created in the Urals and Far East of Russia (Troitsk Battalion and Imanta Regiment), but they did not take part in significant military action, and were sent to Latvia, by then already an independent nation."