Approximately two million people joined Becoming_a_member their hands to form Cause_to_amalgamate a human chain spanning Expansion across the three Baltic states – Estonia , Latvia , and Lithuania , which were considered at the time to be constituent republics of the Soviet Union .

The event Social_event was organised Arranging by Baltic pro-independence movements : Rahvarinne of Estonia , the Tautas fronte of Latvia , and Sąjūdis of Lithuania .

The Livonian War Hostile_encounter ( 1558–1583 ) was fought Hostile_encounter for control Control of Old Livonia ( in the territory of present-day Estonia and Latvia ) , when the Tsardom of Russia faced Confronting_problem a varying Change coalition Collaboration of Denmark–Norway , the Kingdom of Sweden , and the Union ( later Commonwealth ) of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland .

Latvia was relegated Change to Division I-A for 2018 by merit of their tenth-place finish .

While Latvia had last competed Competition in 1939 , this year marked Recording the World Championship debut of three national teams .

On August 19 , 2011 , almost 20 years after the breakup Destroying of the Soviet Union and the Republic of Latvia regaining Recovering its independence , a memorial plaque was dedicated Giving at the Stone Bridge ( the `` Akmens tilts '' ) in memory of the victims Catastrophe .

Men 's teams from 13 countries participated Participation in the 2009 competition : Belarus , Finland , Kazakhstan , Norway , Russia , Sweden ( group A ) and Canada , Estonia , Hungary , Latvia , Mongolia , the Netherlands and the United States ( group B ) .

The war Military_operation involved Cause_to_be_included Latvia ( its provisional government supported Supporting by Estonia , Poland and the Western Allies—particularly the navy of United Kingdom ) against the Russian SFSR and the Bolsheviks ' short-lived Latvian Socialist Soviet Republic .

Germany and the Baltic nobility added Cause_to_be_included another level of intrigue , initially being nominally allied Collaboration to the Nationalist/Allied force Hostile_encounter but attempting to jockey for German domination of Latvia .

The Soviet Union dissolved Dispersal in December 1991 , resulting in eleven new countries ( Armenia , Azerbaijan , Belarus , Georgia , Kazakhstan , Kyrgyzstan , Moldova , Tajikistan , Turkmenistan , Ukraine and Uzbekistan ) , which had declared their independence from the Soviet Union in the course of the year , while the Baltic states ( Estonia , Latvia and Lithuania ) regained their independence in September 1991 .

Men 's teams from 11 countries participated Participation in the 2010 competition : Finland , Kazakhstan , Norway , Russia , Sweden , the United States ( group A ) and Canada , Hungary , Latvia , Mongolia and the Netherlands ( group B ) .

Specifically , France , Belgium , Great Britain , Latvia , the Netherlands , and Poland `` already had a sports federation '' for the deaf , while Italy , Romania and Hungary each sent Sending one athlete despite having no such federation yet .

Their position in Group A would be inherited Giving by Russia , while newly independent former Soviet member states Belarus , Estonia , Kazakhstan , Latvia , Lithuania , and Ukraine began Process_start play in 1993 in qualification tournaments Competition for Group C. The tournament Competition itself would change Change significantly after this year as well .

Latvia was relegated to Division I and Norway was promoted Cause_change_of_position_on_a_scale to the 2014 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships Competition .