Riga  - More Latvians see Russia as a threat to their Baltic nation's independence compared to a year ago, a national survey released on Monday found.

Thirty-five per cent of Latvians see Russia as a threat to Latvia's independence, up from 25 per cent a year ago, the research by the Marketing and Public Opinion Research Centre found.

Some 52 per cent do not see Russia as a threat.

If people had reservations about Russia before, the crisis in Georgia left a lasting impression on them, the centre's director Arnis Kaktins told diena. lv news portal.

After losing its independence in 1940 to the Soviet Union, Latvia regained it in 1991.

Latvia, along with the two other Baltic states, Estonia and Lithuania, has offered political, economic and logistical support to Georgia. (dpa)