The Baltic region is dotted with more than 7,000 lakes and countless peat bogs, swamps, and marshes. NATO's Baltic States, Russia remove ambassadors as diplomatic relations downgraded By Andrius Sytas [1/2] A view shows the Russian embassy building in Tallinn, Estonia January 21, 2023. Latvia, for example, was a leading producer of Soviet radio receivers. Extensive trade relations were established in the region, which would last until the decline of the Roman Empire. [27], The calculations take into account not only economic, but also technological and energy-related factors: Energy and carbon intensity of transport and households, trade balance of total energy, energy import dependency, diversification of energy mix, etc. Answer (1 of 5): The Baltic countries are 3 states that are in the northeastern region of Europe. All Baltic states are now part of NATO and the European Union. During World War I, the Russian Revolution took place, bringing an end to the czarist Russian Empire. Denmark has upended its previous defense posture, which discounted any need for territorial and regional defense. The three Baltic countries of Northern Europe have long been allies of the United States and valued members of the NATO community. Chief writer on Russia and CIS. Area 67,612 square miles (175,116 square km). Repressions, executions and mass deportations followed after that in the Baltics. Even to this day, most of the three countries' adult population can understand and speak some Russian, especially so the elderly people who went to school during the Soviet rule. In Baltics, Poland, grassroots groups strive to help Ukraine Since Russia invaded Ukraine last February, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia three states on NATO's eastern flank scarred by decades of Soviet-era occupation have been among the top donors to Kyiv Show More Summary Read a brief summary of this topic Baltic states Throughout the course of WWII, all the Baltic States lost significant portions of their populations. Throughout the 1990s privatization accelerated, national currencies were reintroduced, and non-Russian foreign investment increased. Delivered Friday. The classified version would form the basis for military planning, exercises, and budgeting. The Baltic States would remain Soviet republics of the USSR for more than 40 years. By the end of the 18th century, all Baltic territory became part of the Russian Empire. And how might that be impacting the world? This let Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians preserve a high degree of Europe-oriented national identity. The Black Sea lies off Lithuanias west coast. Three decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Moscow maintains imposing and generously staffed embassies across central and eastern Europe, which the host countries say provide convenient cover for espionage. [23], Possible threats to energy security include, firstly, a major risk of energy supply disruption. She has garnered widespread support and international . [26], As a part of the EU from 2004, Baltic states must comply with the EU's regulations in energy, environmental and security spheres. Russia borders Latvia to the east, and the Baltic Sea is to the west. ", "The Annexation of the Baltic States and Its Effect on the Development of Law Prohibiting Forcible Seizure of Territory", "These Names AccuseNominal List of Latvians Deported to Soviet Russia", "Communism and Crimes against Humanity in the Baltic states", "Murder of the Jews of the Baltic States", "Country Profiles: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania", "U.S.-Baltic Relations: Celebrating 85 Years of Friendship", Annexed Baltic States: Envoys Hold On to Lonely U.S. Postings, "The intersection of Ethnic Nationalism and People Power Tactics in the Baltic States", "Swedish political attitudes towards Baltic independence in the short twentieth century", "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia: Co-operation among the Baltic States", "Macroeconomic Legal Trends in the EU11 Countries", "Building methodology, assessing the risks: the case of energy security in the Baltic States", "The Baltic states should adopt the self-defence pinpricks doctrine: the "accumulation of events" threshold as a deterrent to Russian hybrid warfare", "Pilsonbas un migrcijas lietu prvalde Kda 404", "POPULATION BY SEX, ETHNIC NATIONALITY AND COUNTY, 1 JANUARY. Evening roundup with our editors favorite stories of the day. Analysts say he would likely see the establishment of a permanent NATO presence in Eastern Europe as a violation of past agreements, including the 1997 NATO-Russia Founding Act (NRFA). 6.3 France. On September 10, 20 Baltic-American leaders presented a petition signed by 25,000 Baltic-Americans from 50 states to White House officials urging the Bush administration to support NATO membership for the Baltics.This was the day before the terrorist attacks of 9-11. Doing that for the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuaniathree thinly populated states squeezed between Russia, Belarus, and the Baltic Seais hard. All three countries are also members of the New Hanseatic League, an informal group of northern EU states formed to advocate a common fiscal position. [citation needed] During the occupation the Nazi authorities carried out ghettoisations and mass killings of the Jewish populations in Lithuania and Latvia. Behind all that is the regional U.S. headquarters in Poland and its main headquarters for Europe in Virginia. Albania, the Czech Republic, Iceland, Italy, Montenegro, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain contribute to the Canadian-led battlegroup in Latvia; Belgium, the Czech Republic, Iceland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Norway provide contributions to the German-led battlegroup in Lithuania; Denmark, France and Iceland contribute to the UK-led Solving this requires more than a one-off, reactive deployment. Through the efforts of the Polish authorities in recent years, contacts with Russia have been virtually frozen, a shameful war with Soviet monuments has been launched, attempts are being made to torpedo Russian energy projects, a large-scale anti-Russian information campaign is being carried out, history is being falsified, and anti-Russian sanctions by the West are endlessly prolonged, it said. Pop. The UK, Germany, Norway and Denmark sent additional troops to reinforce the multinational battle groups of about 1,000 each in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania although the Baltics would like more.. The Baltic peoples efforts paid off, however, as by the beginning of the 21st century, the three countries enjoyed sustained economic growth, and would soon be admitted to both NATO and the European Union. Overall population fell in each of the Baltic states in the years following independence, primarily because of the return emigration of Russians to Russia, as well as other out-migration to western Europe and North America. Two groups called the Samogitians and the Aukstaiciai became the Lithuanians, and five other groups would form the modern-day Latvian nation. EPA-EFE/Sergey Dolzhenko. Fifteen years ago, NATO opened its doors to the Baltic states. The countries joined the Western military alliance in 2004 but are connected to the rest of European NATO countries by only a narrow corridor, which lies between the heavily armed Russian exclave of Kaliningrad and Russia-allied Belarus. (when Erastothenes mentioned Baltia in an Ancient Greek text) and possibly earlier. The United States has been regularly flying Air Force RC-135 Rivet Joint electronic-eavesdropping planes over Ukraine since late December. They diversified their oil import suppliers due to shutdown of Druzhba gas pipeline in 2006 and increased the share of renewable sources in total energy production with the help of the EU policies. The industry leader for online information for tax, accounting and finance professionals. Among the animals that inhabit the region are elk, boar, roe deer, wolves, hares, and badgers. March 18, 2022. up as tough on Beijing, even seeking to contain the rise of the worlds second-biggest economy. Its size and location would add crucial heft, but the other countries around the Baltic Sea are privately mistrustful of decision-makers in Berlin. Russia was preparing an invasion of NATO countries, including the Baltic states, Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu said in an interview with Voice of America on March 2. The Baltic Council of Ministers was established on 13 June 1994 to facilitate intergovernmental cooperation. Economically, parallel with political changes and a transition to democracy as a rule of law states the nations' previous command economies were transformed via the legislation into market economies, and set up or renewed the major macroeconomic factors: budgetary rules, national audit, national currency and central bank. A RAND study had posited that the Russian military could conquer all three Baltic states quickly using its conventional forces in as little as thirty-six hours, but there are flaws in the. [39] During the 19th century, Baltic started to supersede Ostsee as the name for the region. In fact, in 1236, a chieftain named Mindaugas managed to unite some of the Lithuanian tribes into one political entity. During a Baltics tour earlier this month, U.S. Secretary of State. Edward Lucas is a nonresident fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis, a Liberal Democratic candidate for the British Parliament, a former senior editor at The Economist, and the author, most recently, of Cyberphobia: Identity, Trust, Security and the Internet. [2], After the First World War (19141918) the term "Baltic states" came to refer to countries by the Baltic Sea that had gained independence from the former Russian Empire. [citation needed] Skrunda-1, the last Russian military radar in the Baltics, officially suspended operations in August 1998.[17]. If we want to be ready from the first minute of any kind of attack to defend our citizens, and if you want to give citizens of Latvia the same feeling of security as the citizens of France, Britain, Spain, (and) Germanythen there must be this permanent presence and more firepower and capabilities, Latvian Minister of Defense Artis Pabriks told VOA in an interview. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Since 1991, NATO has been an organization designed for peace, not wara dangerously outdated assumption. About 10% of the adult Baltic population were deported or sent to labor camps. Indeed, the Baltic Sea lies mostly to the east of Germany, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. The forced collectivisation of agriculture began in 1947, and was completed after the mass deportation in March 1949 (see Operation Priboi). It therefore makes sense for the senior U.S. officer on the continentthe Supreme Allied Commander Europe, known as SACEURto have the political preauthorization they need to issue orders in circumstances short of war. Washingtons commitment to Taiwan hasnt been sold to the American public. In all three countries simultaneously, rigged elections (in which only pro-Stalinist candidates were allowed to run) were staged in July 1940, the newly assembled "parliaments" in each of the three countries then unanimously applied to join the Soviet Union, and in August 1940 were incorporated into the USSR as the Estonian SSR, Latvian SSR, and Lithuanian SSR. All too often, the highlight is a distinguished visitor day closer to a theatrical performance than a training event, where participants identify problems by experiencing them. Washington is right to counter Iran's brutality at home and abroad, but that shouldn't stop it from engaging with an adversary to preserve regional peace. Private farms were confiscated, and farmers were made to join the collective farms. [35] There are several theories about its origin, most of which trace it to the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European root *bhel[36] meaning 'white, fair'. In all three countries, Baltic partisans, known colloquially as the Forest Brothers, Latvian national partisans, and Lithuanian partisans, waged unsuccessful guerrilla warfare against the Soviet occupation for the next eight years in a bid to regain their nations' independence. Like Ukraine, the three Baltic states Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia were once part of the Soviet Union. Delivered Wednesday & Sunday. That caused a furor in Polandbut the brickbats should have been bouquets. Nowadays, civilian life takes precedence. The Estonian (and Livonian) peoples, who are considered Finnic peoples, speak languages of the Finno-Ugric family and constitute the core of the southern branch of the Baltic Finns. For more than 20 years, Estonias counterintelligence service has published a hard-hitting annual report about Russian subversion and other threats. [37] However, the modern names of the region and the sea that originate from this root, were not used in either of the two languages prior to the 19th century. Most Lithuanians are adherents of Roman Catholicism. Baltic states, northeastern region of Europe containing the countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. A monthly digest of the top articles read by FP subscribers. A curated selection of our very best long reads. Ukraines economy and infrastructure have been dealt blows that will take decades to recover from. On the surface, everything looks fine. Vilkauskaite, Dovile O. The Baltic States were subsequently admitted to the United Nations. The same legal interpretation is shared by the United States, the United Kingdom, and most other Western democracies,[citation needed] who held the forcible incorporation of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania into the Soviet Union to be illegal. The Baltic states have been sounding the alarm since the 1990s. Between the 10th and 13th centuries, the Baltic peoples came under siege from all directions. Road closures were common, as were bouts of deafening nighttime noise. The Baltic states have historically been in many different spheres of influence, from Danish over Swedish and PolishLithuanian, to German (Hansa and Holy Roman Empire), and before independence in the Russian sphere of influence. That reflects a much deeper issue: Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, NATO has been an organization designed for peace, not war. By signing up, I agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to occasionally receive special offers from Foreign Policy. the Krecik radar station located about 500 km from Iran, is in service as part of the NATO missile defence system. The term Baltic countries (or lands, or states) was, until the early 20th century, used in the context of countries neighbouring the Baltic Sea: Sweden and Denmark, sometimes also Germany and the Russian Empire. Russias growing military presence in Belarus highlights the vulnerability of the Suwalki corridor, the thin neck of land connecting the Baltic states and Poland. Once Russia has completed its conquest of Ukraine, that question will acquire . By the time the North Atlantic Council, NATOs political body, has met, been briefed, deliberated, ironed out potentially dissenting views from countries such as Hungary, and reached a decision, it could be too late. Former President Donald Trump 's time in office left NATO stronger, according to the alliance's Baltic states . At least formally, most Western democracies never considered the three Baltic states to be constituent parts of the Soviet Union. 6.2 United States. The Latvian and Lithuanian peoples speak languages belonging to the Baltic branch of the Indo-European linguistic family and are commonly known as Balts. Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are also members of the OECD. Jessica Chen Weiss, formerly a senior advisor for policy planning at the State Department under the Biden administration, makes the case that the United States is becoming consumed by competition with China, a strategy that could lead to dangerous conflict. It was the birth of what would become the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which came to control the southern part of the Baltics, while Sweden controlled the north. Delivered Thursday. Confused yet? https://www.britannica.com/place/Baltic-states, Stanford Libraries - The Baltic Way - The Baltic States 19182018, Research and Development Corporation - The Baltic States and NATO Membership, The Heritage Foundation - The Baltic States: The United States Must Be Prepared to Fulfill Its NATO Treaty Obligations, Baltic states - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up), Russians place flowers at burnt out tanks in Baltic cities, In Baltics, Poland, grassroots groups strive to help Ukraine, Baltic leaders: Olympic boycott possible if Russians compete. In Latvia exists a small community of Finnic people related to the Estonians, composed of only 250 people, known as Livonians, and they live in the so-called Livonian Coast. In fact, glacial deposits in the form of eskers, moraines, and drumlins occur in profusion and tend to disrupt the drainage pattern, which results in frequent flooding. Estonia had already obtained autonomy from tsarist Russia in 1917, and declared independence in February 1918, but was subsequently occupied by the German Empire until November 1918. A lightning attack by Russian forces, likely following a period of intense, artificially created confusion, could reach the Baltic Sea or cut the Suwalki corridor in a matter of hours. Culturally, the Estonians were strongly influenced by the Germans, and traces of the original Finnish culture have been preserved only in folklore. Especially, the high share of renewables were introduced to the energy production of Latvia, that can be explained by the state's geographical location and favorable natural conditions. As World War I came to a close, Lithuania declared independence and Latvia formed a provisional government. Artis Pabriks, Latvia's Minister of Defense, tells VOA that if Russia does not like NATO expansion, then Moscow can stop threatening its smaller neighbors. The Finno-Ugric tribes would eventually become the Estonians. All three became NATO members on 29 March 2004, and joined the EU on 1 May 2004. Germany has backed the two Nord Stream natural gas pipelines along the Baltic seabed. Is Weiss correct? Both Western and Eastern Christianity had been introduced by the end of the first millennium. There are other countries that border the Baltic Sea, such as Poland, Finland, and Sweden, but when people refer to the Baltic States, they are usually just referring to the three countries that sit on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, which are Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. "From Empire to Independence: The Curious Case of the Baltic States 1917-1922." A flag-raising ceremony of the three. These are Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia, and they are located on the eastern shore of the Baltic sea. In the latter half of the 1980s, however, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachevs policies of liberalization and greater freedom allowed the Baltic peoples to reassert their independence. Flights were already banned from Russia as part of an EU-wide decision. Despite considerable political turmoil in Finland, no such authoritarian figure took power there. NATO had no forces in the eastern part of the alliance until 2014, when it decided to deploy four multinational battlegroups on a rotational basis to the Baltics and Poland in response to Russias annexation of Crimea. 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If Putin had hoped to weaken NATO, the very opposite has happened, with Finland and Sweden on the cusp of joining the transatlantic military alliance. In the United States this momentous historical decision is commonly framed either as one of the greatest U.S. foreign policy achievements or an ill-advised move that diluted the alliance by taking on indefensible nations. "We are aware of the fact that the Russian tanks, which are currently burning in Ukraine, were intended for a large-scale invasion of NATO countries, including Estonia," he said. Latvians, together with Livonians, who are another indigenous group in the country, make up 62% of the population. Want to read more on this topic or region? Suwalki Gap: The. Please select which sections you would like to print: Ambassador of Lithuania to Israel. The three states have the highest productivity of the former constituent republics of the Soviet Union. The Estonian language (including its divergent Vro and Seto dialects) is a Finnic language, together with neighboring Finland's Finnish language. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). For the geographic region, see, "Baltics" redirects here. Each battalion is led by a framework nationthe United Kingdom in Estonia, Canada in Latvia, Germany in Lithuania, and the United States in Poland. All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. Many think that NATOs presence in the region has gone far enough already. Washington jealously guards its best intelligencefor example, anything involving Russian submarines. So unused to being challenged, the United States has become so filled with anxiety over China that sober responses are becoming nearly impossible. In accordance with a secret protocol within the MolotovRibbentrop Pact of 1939 that divided Europe into German and Soviet spheres of influence, the Soviet Army invaded eastern Poland in September 1939, and the Stalinist Soviet government coerced Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania into "mutual assistance treaties" which granted USSR the right to establish military bases in these countries. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, and the OECD. Weekly update on developments in India and its neighbors. Last week, Latvian Defense Minister Artis Pabriks described Germanys approach as immoral and hypocritical.. Delivered Wednesday. However, those agreements can be regarded in significant part as null and void given Russian actions, Plesch said. But beyond the goals of one leader in Moscow, it is also clear that Ukraine has suffered horrors of a historic nature. Initially, attempts to Russify the Baltic peoples were overt, but later they were moderated as Russian immigration soared and the sheer weight of the immigrant numbers simply served to promote this objective in less-blatant ways. Even before the invasion, some questioned whether NATO could actually defend its Baltic members from a Russian attack. When WWI ended, the Baltic peoples fought off attempts by the newly-created Soviet Union to take back control of their territory, and in 1920, the Soviets signed treaties with Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, recognizing their independence. The Baltic States also had to develop new laws and constitutions so that they could make themselves into democratic states. This reality gives the alliance flexibility with regard to NRFAs terms, she told VOA by email. Urmas Reinsalu. Though Estonia is an important producer of oil shale, a large share of mineral and energy resources is imported. More ways to stay updated on global news: By submitting your email, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to receive email correspondence from us. Is the Biden administrations China policy too hawkish? These units obviously cannot withstand a Russian assault; they are there to make sure the Kremlin knows an attack on the Baltic states would also be an attack on other NATO members. Estonia and northern part of Latvia were ceded by Sweden, and incorporated into the Russian Empire at the end of the Great Northern War in 1721, while most of the territory of what is now Lithuania came under Russian rule after the Third Partition of PolishLithuanian Commonwealth in 1795. The Baltic states are bounded on the west and north by the Baltic Sea, which gives the region its name, on the east by Russia, on the southeast by Belarus, and on the southwest by Poland and an exclave of Russia. "If that happens, it might serve as a strong deterrent to any future attempts to carry out such (spying) activities, as they did with the feeling of impunity previously.". A highly productive region for the former U.S.S.R., the Baltic states catered to economies of scale in output and regional specialization in industryfor example, manufacturing electric motors, machine tools, and radio receivers. In 2016, we deployed four multinational battlegroups or "enhanced forward presence" to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. The pandemics outbreak brought rare reporting freedoms. Troops were withdrawn from the region (starting from Lithuania) from August 1993. Test yourself on the week of Feb. 25: Nigeria votes, Finland builds a border wall, and Israel escalates repression. [38] Terms related to modern name Baltic appear in ancient texts, but had fallen into disuse until reappearing as the adjective Baltisch in German, from which it was adopted in other languages. And at the moment, he added, Russias military looks even weaker than normal after sustaining significant losses in Ukraine. [26] Therefore, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania play a significant role not only in consuming, but also in distribution of Russian energy fuels extracting transaction fees. The three Baltic states are also cooperating in joint arms and equipment purchases in order to save money. Another factor: the NRFA is not a legally binding document, added Mary Elise Sarotte, a Cold War historian and professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. Estonia is the northernmost of the Baltic States. The best way to increase the internal and external credibility of defense is to practice using difficult scenarios in real time. Latvia is sandwiched between Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. "We are aware of the fact that the Russian tanks, which are currently burning in Ukraine, were intended for a large-scale invasion of NATO countries, including Estonia . The tripwire forces in the Baltic states are currently hostagesa reminder to the Kremlin that an attack on what Russian hard-liners regard as renegade provinces would also mean tangling with Britain, France, and Germany. Such rhetoric makes it appear unlikely that Russia - which has yet to announce its response to the Slovak and Baltic moves - will allow the disputes to quietly subside. Watchthe conversation onFP Live, the magazines forum for live journalism, orreada condensed transcript. There is no common maritime strategy, though control of the Baltic Sea in a crisis will determine what happens on land. Watch the conversation or read the condensed transcript. Large parts of the Baltic countries were controlled by the Russian central government until the 1917 Russian Revolution and the final stages of World War I in 1918, when Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania gained their sovereignty. Currently, U.S. troops are part of NATO's Baltic rotational battlegroups, which are led by Germany, Britain, and Canada. Soldiers of a Nato battlegroup at a ceremony marking the fifth anniversary of Nato's enhanced presence in the eastern part of the alliance in Rukla, Lithuania, on February 9th, 2022. Aside from the Baltic Sea to the west, the Baltic States are bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the east by Russia, to the southeast by Belarus, and to the southwest by territory belonging to Belarus and Poland.