In pension files, 19 January 2011 was not a loud date, but for many people it meant a very practical way of crossing a border without losing years of work history. On that day, the agreement between the Republic of Latvia and the Russian Federation on cooperation in social security entered into force. It allowed insurance periods accumulated in Latvia and Russia to be combined when determining pension rights, while each state paid for the post-1991 insurance record accumulated on its own territory.

The agreement addressed the practical reality of post-Soviet migration and working lives: many biographies were split across more than one state. In Latvia, it especially affected people whose insurance record had been built up both in Latvia and in Russia.