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*In 1944, when Soviet military advances reached Latvia, heavy fighting took place in Latvia between German and Soviet troops, which ended in another German defeat. Anywhere from 120,000 to as many as 300,000 '''Latvians took refuge from the Soviet army by fleeing to Germany and Sweden'''. Most sources count 200,000 to 250,000 refugees leaving Latvia, with perhaps as many as 80,000 to 100,000 of them '''recaptured by the Soviets''' or, during few months immediately after the end of war, '''returned by the West.''' | *In 1944, when Soviet military advances reached Latvia, heavy fighting took place in Latvia between German and Soviet troops, which ended in another German defeat. Anywhere from 120,000 to as many as 300,000 '''Latvians took refuge from the Soviet army by fleeing to Germany and Sweden'''. Most sources count 200,000 to 250,000 refugees leaving Latvia, with perhaps as many as 80,000 to 100,000 of them '''recaptured by the Soviets''' or, during few months immediately after the end of war, '''returned by the West.''' | ||
*Between 136,000 and 190,000 Latvians, depending on the sources, were imprisoned or '''deported to Soviet concentration camps (the Gulag)''' in the post war years, from 1945 to 1952. | *Between 136,000 and 190,000 Latvians, depending on the sources, were imprisoned or '''deported to Soviet concentration camps (the Gulag)''' in the post war years, from 1945 to 1952. | ||
*An influx of '''new colonists, including laborers, administrators, military personnel and their dependents from Russia and other Soviet republics''' started. By 1959 about 400,000 Russian settlers arrived.<ref>"Latvia", in Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latvia, accessed 26 July 2021.</ref> | *An influx of '''new colonists, including laborers, administrators, military personnel and their dependents from Russia and other Soviet republics''' started. By 1959 about 400,000 Russian settlers arrived. | ||
*As of March 2011, Latvians form about 62.1% of the population, while 26.9% are Russians, Belarusians 3.3%, Ukrainians 2.2%, Poles 2.2%, Lithuanians 1.2%, Jews 0.3%, Romani people 0.3%, Germans 0.1%, Estonians 0.1% and others 1.3%. 250 people identify as Livonians (Baltic Finnic people native to Latvia). There were 290,660 "non-citizens" living in Latvia or 14.1% of Latvian residents, mainly Russian settlers who arrived after the occupation of 1940 and their descendants.<ref>"Latvia", in Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latvia, accessed 26 July 2021.</ref> | |||
==Emigration From Latvia== | ==Emigration From Latvia== | ||