Estonia: Two arrested in Finland over data cable incident
Finnish police have arrested two crew members of a cargo ship suspected of severing Finnish…
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Welcome to Via Baltica, your “information superhighway” for news from the three Baltic tigers of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania! Our founder and editor-in-chief is Kerkko Paananen, senior news analyst with more than two decades of professional expertise in covering and reporting on current affairs in the Baltic States. We aim to do one thing well:…
Estonia: Two arrested in Finland over data cable incident
Finnish police have arrested two crew members of a cargo ship suspected of severing Finnish telecommunications operator Elisa’s undersea data cable in the Gulf of Finland, YLE reports. In addition, two more crew members were issued with travel bans. Three informed sources told Helsingin Sanomat that there was no indication of Russian involvement in the…
Estonia: Cargo ship damages two data cables in Gulf of Finland
Police in Finland have detained a cargo ship and its crew suspected of breaking two undersea data cables in Estonia’s exclusive economic zone in the Gulf of Finland, ERR reports. Finnish telecommunications operator Elisa detected a fault in its data cable in the early morning hours of 31 December 2025. Estonia’s Ministry of Justice and…
Baltic: Foreign ministers show solidarity with Denmark, Greenland
The foreign ministers of the three Baltic States and Finland expressed solidarity with Denmark and Greenland after US President Donald Trump repeated his claim that the US needed to annex Greenland, ERR reports. Earlier, Trump appointed Louisiana governor Jeff Landry as US special envoy to Greenland. Landry stated that he would work to make Greenland…
Lithuania: GDP growth to accelerate in 2026: central bank
Lithuania’s GDP will grow by 2.5% in 2025, according to the Bank of Lithuania’s latest forecast, ELTA reports. In September 2025, the central bank projected that the country’s economy would grow by 2.7% in 2025. The bank now expects the GDP to rise by 3.2% in 2026, by 2.3% in 2027, and by 3.0% in…
Latvia: Home sales up 20% on year in 1-9/2025
The number of housing transactions in Latvia increased by around 20% in the first three quarters of 2025, compared to the same period of 2024, according to real estate agency Latio, LETA reported. The data showed that it took an average of 47 days to sell a home at market price in December 2025, which…
Estonia: Contract signed to buy South Korean multiple rocket launchers
The Estonian Centre for Defence Investments (RKIK) has signed a contract to buy six K239 Chunmoo self-propelled multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS) from South Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace for EUR 290mn, ERR reports. Under the deal, Hanwha will deliver the MLRS units within two years. Additional units and longer range may be added later. Also, Hanwha will…
Baltic: Life satisfaction highest in Lithuania in 2024: Eurostat
Life satisfaction in the Baltic States was highest in Lithuania in 2024, according to Eurostat data, LSM reports. Lithuanian residents said that their overall satisfaction with life stood at 7.2 out of 10 points, which was the same as the EU average and unchanged from 2023. Meanwhile, life satisfaction was 7.1 (7.2) in Estonia and…
Lithuania: Coalition to push forward disputed public broadcaster law
Lithuania’s ruling coalition plans to go ahead with legislation that would make it easier to dismiss the director general of the country’s public broadcaster, Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT), BNS reports. Juozas Olekas, speaker of the Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas, said that the coalition intended to submit a new version of draft amendments after…
Latvia: Tighter protection on Belarus border extended again
The Latvian government has extended the enhanced border protection regime on the border with Belarus for another six months until 30 June 2026, LSM reports. The regime, which is in force in certain parishes and municipalities along the border, was due to expire at the end of 2025. The enhanced control regime was declared due…