Contents tagged with Baltics
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Estonian Defense Chief warns of Putin's intention to invade Baltics
The threat of a nuclear response or losses will not deter Russian President Vladimir Putin from potentially invading Baltic countries, according to the Chief of Defence of the Estonian Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Martin Herem, as reported by Voice of America.
General Herem stressed the urgent need to strengthen the nation's defenses in case of a possible Russian invasion. He stated that a significant increase in the defense budget is necessary to achieve a decisive victory over any …
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Washington allows Baltic countries to arm Ukraine with American weapons
The American publication Politico, citing sources in the US State Department, reported that in the near future the Ukrainian army will receive a shipment of American weapons previously delivered to the Baltic states - Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia as part of cooperation in NATO.
The delivery will be carried out based on three requests received in Washington from these countries in recent weeks.
The mandatory approval by the U.S. Department of State for the transfer of US-made weapons to a " …
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Baltic countries to stop energy imports from Russia and Belarus
The Baltic countries are beginning to exit the electricity network with Russia and Belarus, which they have been using since the Soviet times.
According to Interfax, on Tuesday, Lithuanian electricity transmission system operator Litgrid AB announced a three-fold reduction in the electricity intake from Belarus.
From September 15, the maximum transmission capacity from Belarus to Lithuania will be reduced from the current 1,250 megawatts to 400 megawatts.
Lithuania has restricted electricity …
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Diplomatic war between Russia and the West spirals out of control
Relations between Russia and the West continue to spiral downwards reaching the "bottom" of the Cold War.
In just over a week, Moscow and Western countries mutually expelled more than 140 diplomats and embassy staff, breaking the record of the spy wars of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan.
On April 15, as part of a package of sanctions for election interference, chemical weapons and cyberattacks, the U.S. declared 10 employees of the Russian embassy persona non grata. They, according to …
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Baltic countries prepare new personal sanctions against Belarus
Latvian Foreign Minister Edgar Rinkevich said that the Baltic states have agreed to jointly expand the blacklists of those responsible for suppressing protests in Belarus.
"Based on the immigration law, I have decided to include two Belarusian citizens on the list of undesirable persons in the Republic of Latvia, imposing a ban on their entry to Latvia indefinitely. To quote the classic: "We don't need such hockey," Rinkevich wrote on Twitter.
According to him, Latvia has decided to ban entry …
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NATO begins multinational exercises in the Baltic Sea
The Baltops international exercise, which involves 19 NATO countries, kicked off in the Baltic Sea on Sunday, reports err.ee.
3,000 servicemen from 19 countries, 29 ships and 29 aircraft will take part in the drills. Which will last until June 16.
The drills are carried out exclusively at sea out f precaution for the health and safety of the participants.
Estonia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, …
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Russia carries out Iskander missile launches in Baltics
The Russian Baltic Sea Fleet has worked out missile strikes using Iskander tactical missile systems, Interfax reports.
According to the spokesperson of the Baltic Fleet Roman Martov, the Iskander crews covertly advanced to the designated positions. They prepared the launching pads there and performed single and multiple missile launches at targets. Missile launchers, airfields, protected facilities and military command posts were used as hypothetical targets.
In addition, the Iskander crews …
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Over the past week NATO detected Russian military aircraft over the Baltic 9 times
During the period between August 5-11, NATO air patrol aircraft detected and escorted Russian aircraft nine times over the Baltics, reports Radio Liberty.
According to the Lithuanian Defense Ministry, in most cases, Russian warplanes crossed into the in the country's airspace with transponders turned off. It was only on August 6 that a Russian warplane flew into Lithuanian airspace over the Baltic sea because of the "bad weather conditions," notes Lithuanian Defense Ministry.
The Russian side …
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Media: Families of Dutch NATO pilots were intimidated by individuals 'with Russian accent'
Family members of Dutch pilots who conducted the NATO air patrol mission in the Baltic countries in 2017 received threatening phone calls, reports the Dutch newspaper NL Times.
As noted, the wives and live-in girlfriends of the pilots of F-16 aircraft were repeatedly called by unknown persons "with a Russian accent," who, among other things, suggested that their husbands should leave the region and were interested what their wives think about the service in the Baltic. The women often receive …
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NATO launches large-scale military exercise in Baltics
Approximately 18,000 servicemen from 19 countries will take part in the US-led NATO Saber Strike military exercises, which began on Sunday, June 3, with a solemn ceremony in Vilnius.
The exercises have been held annually since 2010. NATO battalions under the leadership of the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom and Canada currently deployed in the Baltic States and Poland will take part.
“NATO [troops]…[are] being specifically tested during Saber Strike, and [these joint exercises] …