Baltic: Russia claims Ukraine attacking from Baltics
Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) claimed that Ukraine was planning to attack Russia from the…
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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:…
Baltic: Russia claims Ukraine attacking from Baltics
Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) claimed that Ukraine was planning to attack Russia from the territory of the Baltic States, Baltic News Network reported. SVR claimed that Ukrainian soldiers had already been deployed to five military bases in Latvia and threatened Latvia with “just retribution.” Russia’s UN ambassador, Vasily Nebenzya, repeated the claims and threats…
Latvia: Armed forces plan broad transformation
The Latvian National Armed Forces (NBS) plans to carry out a broad transformation, NBS commander Major General Kaspars Pudans announced, LSM reports. The plan includes adding new capabilities and technologies as well as restructuring the overall structure of the armed forces. NATO division deputy commander Brigadier General Ilmars Lejins will lead the transformation. He said…
Estonia: Centre Party tops party poll in May 2026
The opposition Estonian Centre Party (Keskerakond) is now the most popular political party in Estonia, according to a new Turu-Uuringute poll, ERR reports. Support for the Centre Party rose from 23% in April 2026 to 25% in May 2026. The national-conservative opposition party, Fatherland (Isamaa), dropped to second place with 20% support, which was down…
Lithuania: Leaders back talks on nuclear weapons
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda supports discussions on changing the country’s constitution to allow hosting nuclear weapons in the country, BNS reports. The presence of allied nuclear weapons could serve as an appropriate and proportionate deterrent against armed aggression from hostile states, Nauseda argued. Juozas Olekas, speaker of the Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas, stated that such…
Latvia: PM nominee drops Progressives from coalition talks
Latvia’s prime minister nominee, MP Andris Kulbergs of the opposition United List, announced that he would seek to form a four-party coalition government, LSM reported. After trilateral talks, United List, the National Alliance, and the Union of Greens and Farmers (ZZS) agreed to invite outgoing Prime Minister Evika Silina’s party, New Unity, to the negotiations….
Estonia: NATO jet shoots down drone
A Romanian fighter jet based at Lithuania’s Siauliai Air Base shot down a drone over Lake Võrtsjärv in southern Estonia on 19 May 2026, Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur announced, ERR reported. Taavi Aas, head of the Põltsamaa municipality, said that the drone crashed into a field near Põltsamaa. No civilian damage or injuries were reported….
Lithuania: EU Commission approves EUR 153mn of recovery funds
The European Commission has approved an additional EUR 153mn in funding for Lithuania under the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), BNS reports. The funds are due to be disbursed in July 2026. So far, Lithuania has received EUR 2.69bn under its national recovery plan. Lithuania will submit its final RRF payment request in September…
Latvia: Hotel bookings down 3% in Q1/2026
Tourist accommodation establishments in Latvia had a total of 447,100 guests in the first quarter of 2026, which was down 3.0% from 460,800 in the same period of 2025, according to the Central Statistical Bureau (CSP), LSM reports. The number of foreign guests amounted to 246,600, which was 7.2% fewer than a year earlier. The…
Estonia: Agricultural land prices down nearly 10% in 2025
The average price of agricultural land in Estonia was EUR 6,122 per hectare in 2025, which was down 9.7% from EUR 6,782 in 2024, according to Statistics Estonia, ERR reports. The price drop was due to a lack of large transactions. The average price of grassland stood at EUR 4,861 and arable land at EUR…