The Latvian and Lithuanian peoples speak languages belonging to the Baltic branch of the Indo-European linguistic family and are commonly known as Balts. Vilkauskaite, Dovile O. NEW FOR SUBSCRIBERS: In June 1940, the Red Army occupied all of the territory of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, and installed new, pro-Soviet puppet governments. EPA-EFE/Sergey Dolzhenko. One of the easier steps would be to align the regions security objectives by compiling and publishing a common threat assessment. [33][34], The term Baltic stems from the name of the Baltic Sea a hydronym dating back to at least 3rd century B.C. A monthly digest of the top articles read by FP subscribers. During a Baltics tour earlier this month, U.S. Secretary of State. Test yourself on the week of Feb. 25: Nigeria votes, Finland builds a border wall, and Israel escalates repression. 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. In Latvia and Estonia, the president is elected by parliament, while Lithuania has a semi-presidential system whereby the president is elected by popular vote. World Donald Trump NATO Baltics Estonia. Current exercises in the region are too small, too well scripted, and too devoid of complexity. At least formally, most Western democracies never considered the three Baltic states to be constituent parts of the Soviet Union. Shortly after World War II began, Soviet leader Josef Stalin coerced the leaders of all three Baltic States into allowing Soviet troops into their countries. The three states have the highest productivity of the former constituent republics of the Soviet Union. Even before the invasion, some questioned whether NATO could actually defend its Baltic members from a Russian attack. 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. Commenting on this and other recent articles is just one benefit of a Foreign Policy subscription. Across the Baltic Sea, Sweden and Finland have also been boosting their spending. Estonians are Finnic people, together with the nearby Finns. Keep up with the world without stopping yours. Center for European Policy Analysis report, The West Must Do More to Prevent Conflict With Iran, Putin Has Assembled an Axis of Autocrats Against Ukraine, The Deep Roots of Pakistans Terrorism Crisis, What the ChatGPT Moment Means for U.S.-China Tech Competition. Soviet rule ended in the Baltic countries in 19891991, as the newly elected parliaments of the three nations declared the Soviet occupation illegal, culminating with the full restoration of the independence of the three countries in August 1991. NATO is an Alliance that consists of 30 independent member countries. It is the United States that makes the NATO security guarantee fully credible. And I havent even mentioned the five-nation Nordic Defence Cooperation framework, the French-led European Intervention Initiative, and, of course, the European Unions own nascent defense efforts: battle groups that mainly exist on paper. Additional information on the regions physical and human geography can be found in the article Europe. Corrections? ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISION AS AT 01.01.2018", "Home Oficialiosios statistikos portalas", "Employees fluent in three languages it's the norm in Lithuania", "Nida and The Curonian Spit, The Insider's Guide to Visiting", "Population by gender in regions, cities, counties and parishes at the beginning of the year - Gender, Territorial unit, Indicators and Time period", "Eurostat - Tables, Graphs and Maps Interface (TGM) table", "Defense budget to increase by 103 million", "GINI index (World Bank estimate) | Data", The Shadow in the East: Vladimir Putin and the New Baltic Front, On the Boundary of Two Worlds: Identity, Freedom, and Moral Imagination in the Baltics, 1914-1918-online. 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 Stay updated on the topics you care about with email alerts. The most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs. Watchthe conversation onFP Live, the magazines forum for live journalism, orreada condensed transcript. In addition, Bulgaria and Poland have expelled two and three Russians respectively, prompting Moscow to show the door to two Bulgarians and five Poles. Swedish remains spoken in Estonia, particularly the Estonian Swedish dialect of the Estonian Swedes of northern Estonia and the islands (though many fled to Sweden as the USSR invaded and re-occupied Estonia in 1944). Numerous Swedish loanwords have made it into the Estonian language; it was under the Swedish rule that schools were established and education propagated in the 17th century. In Cold War West Germany, for example, British and U.S. tanks would thunder across farmland, crushing hedges and ruining crops. All maps, graphics, flags, photos and original descriptions 2023 worldatlas.com, Latvias capital and largest city is Riga, Lithuanias capital and largest city is Vilnius, U.S. States Bordering The Most Other States, The 10 Wettest States In The United States Of America. Sending this force to the alliance's most exposed members in Eastern Europe, even though NATO has no intention of taking part in the war, is a powerful, tangible indicator of NATO's commitment . Each was staffed initially by diplomats from the last governments before USSR occupation. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Military, By one estimate from Harvard University, more than 130,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or severely wounded, in addition to the deaths of more than 7,000 Ukrainian civilians. Politicians and decision-makers in the region still have radically different threat assessments. 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. Build the strongest argument relying on authoritative content, attorney-editor expertise, and industry defining technology. The world over, countries are embarking on ambitious projects of industrial policy. [4][5], All three Baltic countries experienced a period of authoritarian rule by a head of state who had come to power after a bloodless coup: Antanas Smetona in Lithuania (19261940), Krlis Ulmanis in Latvia (19341940), and Konstantin Pts during the "era of silence" (19341938) in Estonia, respectively. For more than 20 years, Estonias counterintelligence service has published a hard-hitting annual report about Russian subversion and other threats. Latvias population is about 1.8 million. The Czechs are embroiled in the biggest row of all, which looks set to involve the departure of dozens of Czech and Russian diplomats and was prompted by Czech allegations that Russian intelligence was behind a deadly explosion at an ammunication depot in 2014. read more. NATOs small air policing deploymenttypically just four warplanes based in Estonia or Lithuaniais there to deal with peacetime problems, such as airspace intrusions, not to fight off the Russian Air Force. Some emphasise that the events in Lithuania differed from the other two countries, with Smetona having different motivations as well as securing power eight years before any such events in Latvia or Estonia took place. Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded NATO withdraw all outside forces from the region and commit to Sweden and Finland never being allowed to join. The three countries were independent until the outbreak of World War II. This friendship led to the creation of the Council of the Baltic Sea States in 1992, and the EuroFaculty in 1993.[20]. Its size and location would add crucial heft, but the other countries around the Baltic Sea are privately mistrustful of decision-makers in Berlin. What does that mean for trade and globalization? Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers. [38][needs update], Since the Middle Ages, the Baltic Sea has appeared on maps in Germanic languages as the equivalent of 'East Sea': German: Ostsee, Danish: stersen, Dutch: Oostzee, Swedish: stersjn, etc. But the inducements encourage U.S. companies to invest only at homenot elsewhere. 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 Latvians and Lithuanians, linguistically and culturally related to each other, are Baltic Indo-European people. In terms of religion, just over half of Estonians are unaffiliated Christians. The Russian president got many things wrong about invading Ukrainebut not everything. Estonia is the northernmost of the Baltic States. 6.4 Baltic . 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. Ukrainian civilians are given military training in Kyiv, February 2022. [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. Indeed, Russians are still Estonias biggest ethnic minority today, comprising 25% of the population. NATOs Article 5 pledges the alliance to defend its members. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Once Russia has completed its conquest of Ukraine, that question will acquire . Read also: Ukrainians not prepared to forego EU and NATO membership in exchange for peace, survey shows. Last week, Latvian Defense Minister Artis Pabriks described Germanys approach as immoral and hypocritical.. Lithuanias capital and largest city is Vilnius, which is situated close to the countrys border with Belarus, in the southeast. But beyond the goals of one leader in Moscow, it is also clear that Ukraine has suffered horrors of a historic nature. 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. Toggle Relations with NATO member states subsection 6.1 Greece. NATO's Enhanced Forward Presence (EFP) consists of four battalion-sized battlegroups (totaling about 4,500 personnel) deployed in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. Putins threat to respond to NATO with military-technical measures could easily involve the deployment of medium-range missiles, perhaps even nuclear-armed weapons, in Russias Kaliningrad exclave. Russia According to Plesch, much depends on how the situation in Ukraine progresses. Delivered Wednesday & Sunday. Is Weiss correct? The radars will form part of the Baltic states' joint airspace surveillance . Polish served a similar function in Lithuania. However, most Lithuanians, associated historically with Poland, are Roman Catholic. The Baltic countries were more interested in gaining access to the rest of the European market. Like Latvia, Lithuania also had a large Jewish community, but it too was decimated by the Holocaust. Cue the protests from other parts of the globe: A chorus of nations are accusing Washington of fostering unfair competition. Before WWII, Estonians made up 88% of the population, but between 1945 and 1989, their percentage of the population dropped to just 61%. "From Empire to Independence: The Curious Case of the Baltic States 1917-1922." Suwalki Gap: The. 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. Vikings from Scandinavia, Slavs from the east, and Germanics from the west conquered most of the territory that now comprises the Baltic States, except Lithuania. [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. This reality gives the alliance flexibility with regard to NRFAs terms, she told VOA by email. [24], Even now being a part of the European Union, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are still considered as the most vulnerable EU member states in the energy sphere. For example, a Polish exercise last year, despite making generous assumptions about their access to advanced weaponry, ended with Polish forces being slaughtered in five days and the Russians poised to take Warsaw. Confused yet? How can NATOs problems in the Baltic region be fixed? In 1940, all three countries were invaded, occupied and annexed by the Stalinist Soviet Union. [32] In Soviet times this made them appear as the "West" of the Soviet Union in the cultural and political sense, thus as close to emigration a Russian could get without leaving the USSR. [25] Due to their Soviet past, Baltic states have several gas pipelines on their territories coming from Russia. In nearby Poland, the United States has a more substantial presence of 5,000 service members. The Baltic region is dotted with more than 7,000 lakes and countless peat bogs, swamps, and marshes. [14] During the Cold War, Lithuania and Latvia maintained legations in Washington DC, while Estonia had a mission in New York City. Solving this requires more than a one-off, reactive deployment. Military mobilitythe vital business of moving large numbers of troops and equipmentis patchy too. Since 2003, there is coordination between the two organizations.[21]. Between 1994 and 2004, the BAFTA free trade agreement was established to help prepare the countries for their accession to the EU, rather than out of the Baltic states' desire to trade among themselves. Many Estonians are non-religious or atheist. Ukraines economy and infrastructure have been dealt blows that will take decades to recover from. Despite considerable political turmoil in Finland, no such authoritarian figure took power there. Finland is the standout example of this, with military conscription, extensive training for civilian decision-makers, counter-disinformation training in schools, and regular exercises. 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. Lithuanias official language is Lithuanian, which is an East Baltic language related to Latvian. Since the decline of Russian influence and integration into the European Union economy, English has become the most popular second language in the Baltic states. Lithuania is the most populous of the Baltic States, with a population of just under 2.7 million. For everyone living around the Baltic Sea, it will be better to find their shortcomings early and fix them than to wait until the enemy is at the gates. Meanwhile, these economies were stabilised, and in 2004 all of them joined the European Union. March 18, 2022. They are classified as high-income economies by the World Bank and maintain high Human Development Index. 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. About 10% of the adult Baltic population were deported or sent to labor camps. And how might that be impacting the world? Between 1940 and 1953, the Soviet government deported more than 200,000 people from the Baltics to remote locations in the Soviet Union. Prime Minister Kaja Kallas made history as the first female prime minister of the tiny European Union member state in 2021. Culturally, the Estonians were strongly influenced by the Germans, and traces of the original Finnish culture have been preserved only in folklore. During the Middle Ages, the Baltic peoples were divided into at least eight distinguishable groups. But even with those reinforcements, NATO forces in the Baltics likely could not defeat a large-scale Russian invasion, Baltic leaders warn. "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. Doing that for the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuaniathree thinly populated states squeezed between Russia,. All the Baltic states were once republics of the Soviet Union. In some cases, Russians took on the nationalities of their adopted Baltic countries and were thus counted among the ethnic majorities. 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. VILNIUS, April 23 (Reuters) - Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia on Friday joined a fast-growing list of NATO and EU members demanding the removal of Russian diplomats for alleged spying, in actions. 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. Proper intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilitieswhich combine drone, sensor, and satellite capabilities with modern computing powercreate an unblinking eye that can look deep inside Russia, identifying what Kremlin forces are doing long before a crisis actually develops. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, and the OECD. Apart from the indigenous languages, German was the dominant language in Estonia and Latvia in academics, professional life, and upper society from the 13th century until World War I. NATO Is Dangerously Exposed in the Baltic. The Baltic nations are already protected by NATOs commitment to defend its members in the event of an attack. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Explore the benefits of your FP subscription. rs worth well over $400 billion. Generally, they shortly encountered the following problems: high inflation, high unemployment, low economic growth and high government debt. Urban dwellers constitute more than two-thirds of the regions population, with the largest cities being Vilnius and Kaunas in southeastern Lithuania, the Latvian capital of Riga, and Tallinn on the northwestern coast of Estonia. But the United States has been reluctant to permanently station forces on Russias doorstep, fearing it would further upset relations with Moscow. Malowist, M. The Economic and Social Development of the Baltic Countries from the Fifteenth to the Seventeenth Centuries.. There is now little doubt that Putin failed in his initial goals: Kyiv is still Show morestanding, Ukrainians are determined to keep fighting, and the West has so far stayed resolute in its support of Ukraine. Its capital, Vilnius, is at the forefront of Western support for Kiev. Between the 10th and 13th centuries, the Baltic peoples came under siege from all directions. The Finno-Ugric tribes would eventually become the Estonians. The term was also used historically to refer to Baltic Dominions of the Swedish Empire (Swedish: stersjprovinserna) and, subsequently, the Baltic governorates of the Russian Empire (Russian: , romanized:Ostzejskie gubernii). Estonia is a country of approximately 1.3 million people. Sarotte said it depends on how permanent is defined, but that it is clear that a larger NATO presence in the east will happen, and will endure., In the view of Pabriks, the Latvian defense minister, NATOs new approach to the Baltics should mean much more capabilities, a classical strong presence in the region and also support to our national armies. If Russia does not like the prospect of a more powerful NATO, he said, then it can always choose to not threaten its neighbors., After Russias Ukraine Invasion, Baltics Push for Permanent NATO Presence. Jan 12 (Reuters) - The Baltic States are talking to NATO allies about increasing military deployments on their soil to deter Russia, Estonia's prime minister told Reuters on . The command structure is like a bowl of spaghetti. Years of cost-cutting, timidity, and wishful thinking by NATO governments make it harder. Compared with other regional groupings in Europe, such as the Nordic Council or Visegrd Group, Baltic cooperation is rather limited. 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. From an old black cassette player, Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" rings out through a damaged neighbourhood of the ancient Turkish city of Antakya, where few residents remain since a devastating earthquake left it in ruins nearly a month ago. [39] Since World War II the term has typically been used to group the three countries Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. [15], In the late 1980s, a massive campaign of civil resistance against Soviet rule, known as the Singing revolution, began. FILE - In this photo provided by the French army Friday March 18, 2022, a French soldier from the 7th Mountain Battalion wears a NATO badge at Amari air base, Estonia, Thursday, March 17, 2022. In autumn 2022, Estonia like other Baltic countries, restricted travel over its land borders from Russia. Click + to receive email alerts when new stories are published on. Each of the three countries has declared itself to be the restoration of the sovereign nation that had existed from 1918 to 1940, emphasizing their contention that Soviet domination over the Baltic states during the Cold War period had been an illegal occupation and annexation. Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania each adopted the euro as its common currency in 2011, 2014, and 2015, respectively. It is therefore time to plug the gaping holes in air and missile defense as well as intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities. NATO has two divisional and one corps headquarters, with Estonian and Latvian forces under a Danish headquarters that is based partly in Denmark and partly based in Latvia. Latvias capital and largest city is Riga, located on the countrys northern coast, on the Gulf of Riga. There are also about 4,000 NATO troops in the Baltic States. 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. The call for an additional force presence . The Soviet Union conducted a policy of Russification by encouraging Russians and other Russian-speaking ethnic groups of the Soviet Union to settle in the Baltics. Russias growing military presence in Belarus highlights the vulnerability of the Suwalki corridor, the thin neck of land connecting the Baltic states and Poland. Area 67,612 square miles (175,116 square km). 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. [11] (See June deportation, Soviet deportations from Estonia, Sovietization of the Baltic states). The Baltic states[a] or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term, which currently is used to group three countries: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. 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. Currently, U.S. troops are part of NATO's Baltic rotational battlegroups, which are led by Germany, Britain, and Canada. 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. By the end of the 18th century, all Baltic territory became part of the Russian Empire. Watch the conversation or read the condensed transcript. [23] Other studies add other indicators to this list: diversification of energy suppliers, energy import dependence and vulnerability of political system. ", "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. Although the armed resistance was defeated, the population remained anti-Soviet. About a quarter of Latvias population is nonreligious. Estonia fought a successful war of independence against Soviet Russia in 19181920. It had, however, been embroiled in a bloody civil war back in 1918, something that had not happened in the Baltic states. These two non-NATO countries have close military ties with each other as well as NATO. Urmas Reinsalu. VILNIUS, April 23 (Reuters) - Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia on Friday joined a fast-growing list of NATO and EU members demanding the removal of Russian diplomats for alleged spying, in actions that have infuriated Moscow and look certain to provoke further retaliation. NATO cooperation . NATO allies have stationed so-called enhanced forward presence tripwire forces, roughly 1,000 troops strong, in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Military Forests cover over half the landmass of Estonia, Devonian sandstone cliffs in Gauja National Park, Latvia's largest and oldest national park, Jgala waterfall is the highest natural waterfall in Estonia, Gastilionys cliffs in Kauno Marios Regional Park near Kaunas, View from the Bilioniai forthill in Lithuania, Sand dunes of the Curonian Spit near Nida, which are the highest drifting sand dunes in Europe (UNESCO World Heritage Site). Among the animals that inhabit the region are elk, boar, roe deer, wolves, hares, and badgers. All three are today liberal democracies, with unicameral parliaments elected by popular vote for four-year terms: Riigikogu in Estonia, Saeima in Latvia and Seimas in Lithuania. That was a defensibleif optimisticassumption in the 1990s. These differing threat assessments and political approaches are obstacles to everything else. At bases elsewhere in Europe and the United States, 8,500 U.S. military personnel are on heightened alert, ready to deploy to the region as part of NATOs 40,000-strong Response Force. Is the Biden administrations China policy too hawkish? The industry leader for online information for tax, accounting and finance professionals. Denmark has upended its previous defense posture, which discounted any need for territorial and regional defense. Your guide to the most important world stories of the day. The main trading partners outside the region are Russia, Germany, Finland, and Sweden. The current divide between Lutheranism to the north and Catholicism to the south is the remnant of Swedish and Polish hegemony, respectively, with Orthodox Christianity remaining the dominant religion among Russian and other East Slavic minorities. By David Brennan On 10/15/21 at 7:05 AM EDT. 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. Throughout the 1990s privatization accelerated, national currencies were reintroduced, and non-Russian foreign investment increased. 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. Industry in the Baltic states is prominent, especially the production of food and beverages, textiles, wood products, and electronics and the traditional stalwarts of machine building and metal fabricating.