All I can say to all of this is I was there in 1994 when BT started operations...
I was the CP of Baltic Int'l, (the predecessor of BT) and we flew the B-727...ALL of he pilots that were hired by BT AT THAT TIME were first rate, as were the dispatchers we trained...
I consider them my friends and colleagues, and in fact own an apartment in Riga, and visit there every year...
Having said that, it's been 15+ yrs since then, and things have changed...
I would fly on BT, but it wouldn't be my first choice in the region...
Please don't blame the downfall of BT on the Latvians...look to SAS, and their cost cutting monolopistic ways...