The Hartford republican., 1917-09-07
riga ABANDONED
BY The RUSSIANS
THR BALTIC SEAPORT GIVEN UP
To GERMANS-LITTLE RE-
sISTANCE.


have abandoned Riga, the War Of
flee announces.
The statement says an order has
been given for the abandonment Of
the Riga region on account of the
threatening situation.
Some Russian detachments volun-
tarily left their positions, the War
Office reports, and are retiring to-
ward the north.
Riga, Russia's principal Baltic
port, has been abandoned to the Ger
mans under the threat of an offen-
sive by land and sea, in which the
deciding stroke on the land side was
delivered by the Germans last Sat-
urday.
The fate of Riga was virtually
sealed when German troops, power
fully initiating their offensive, fore
ed a crossing of the Dvina southeast
OF the city and began to push north
ward after making good their foot
hold on the right bank Of the stream.
Nenaced also by the attack of
column of Teutonic forces moving
from Mitau. southwest of Riga. and
by the German naval forces recently
reported lowering in the vicinity Of
the Gulf of Riga, the Russian mill
tary authorities evidently consider
ed the city no longer tenable and de-
cided to evacuate it
The possible ultimate military con-
sequences of this development are
difficult to estimate. The right flank
of the entire Russian Western front
was anchored on the Gulf of Riga at
point to the west Of the city, and
with this anchorage apparently lost
the possible strategical developments
of the situation seem infinite.
Germans Purpose.
Much depends on the purpose OF
the Germans and the size OF the
forces at their disposal for opera
tions in this war theater. 1t is too
early yet for it to be made apparent
whether they will be content at pres
ent with occupation Of the Baltic
seaport the Russians have left them,
or If the advantage is to be pushed
and an attempt made to swing back
the entire Russian line on this front,
creating an opening for an operation
by land and water, with Petrograd
as the objective.
Riga, capital of the government of
Livonia, had a population Of more
than 100000 persons before the war,
and, aside from Petrograd, was the
most important Russian commercial
and industrial town having access to
the Baltic. 1t is situated at the
southern extremity of the Gulf of
Riga, stretch of water 100 miles
long and sixty miles wide, Riga ly-
ing at the point where the Dvina
empties into the Gulf. The port is
icebound during virtually one-third
of the year. II had very large
German population before the open
ing of hostilities, and it is interest
ing to note that it was founded in
.115S by German merchants as a
storehouse, the city passing through
the control of various Northern. ma
tionalities during the senturies, un-
til finally, in 1921, it was incorpor-
ated with the Russian empire. Its
commercial standing is indicated by
the fact that it was the third sea-
port of Russia, only Petrograd and
Odessa exceeding it in Importance.
Eyes On Riga.
The Germans long have had their
eyes upon Riga, and at the close of
the great campaign of 1915, when
Poland was overrun and large sec
tions of Russian soil occupied by the
Teutonic forces, an effort was made
by Field Marshal Won Hindenburg to
break the line of the Dvina between
Riga and Dvinsk, 10 miles to the
southeast. The Russians at that time,
however, were able to hold their grip
on the line, being aided by the advent
of winter. During last year no serious
offensive was undertaken by the Ger
mans on the Northern front, their en-
ergies in the Eastern war theater
being directed elsewhere in resisting
the Brussilon offensive and in the