Latvia: Incoming PM names ministers in new government
Latvia’s prime minister nominee, MP Andris Kulbergs of the opposition party alliance, United List, has…
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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:…
Latvia: Incoming PM names ministers in new government
Latvia’s prime minister nominee, MP Andris Kulbergs of the opposition party alliance, United List, has announced the composition of his incoming four-party coalition government, LSM reports. The Kulbergs cabinet would have 14 male and just 2 female ministers. The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, will vote on approving the government on 28 May 2026. Besides Kulbergs…
Lithuania: Fugitive Russian banker extradited from France
The fugitive Russian banker, Vladimir Antonov, has finally been extradited from France to Lithuania, BNS reports. Earlier, France’s highest court rejected Antonov’s appeal against extradition. In December 2025, he was arrested in western France, where he had been living under an assumed identity. Antonov and his Lithuanian business partner, Raimondas Baranauskas, have both been convicted…
Estonia: Foreign Minister rejects European mediation on Ukraine
Europe cannot act as mediator in peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna stated, ERR reports. Speaking in an interview on ERR, he said that Russia was trying to pull Europe into taking the role of mediator so as to escape new sanctions. Russia fears that the EU will impose a…
Latvia: Four parties agree on coalition programme, composition
Four political groups in Latvia have agreed on the programme of a new coalition government and the distribution of ministerial portfolios, LSM reports. The United List’s MP, Andris Kulbergs, will serve as prime minister, and the party alliance will also hold the posts of ministers of finance, justice, and regional development. Outgoing Prime Minister Evika…
Lithuania: Data breach at state registry
Lithuania’s Prosecutor General’s Office has opened a criminal investigation into a major data breach at the Centre of Registers (VIRC), BNS reports. The investigators said that more than 600,000 records may have been copied illegally from VIRC’s real estate and business registers. The data breach may have originated from abroad. According to 15min, the breach…
Latvia: Drone crashes into lake, explodes
An unidentified drone crashed into a lake in eastern Latvia on 23 May 2026, LSM reported. A local resident saw the drone fall into Lake Dridzis in the Kraslava municipality and explode on impact. No injuries or damage was reported. Authorities are examining the wreckage. The Latvian National Armed Forces (NBS) said that their sensors…
Estonia: Household wealth more than doubled in ten years
The wealth of Estonian households has increased significantly, while wealth inequality has remained relatively stable over 2013-2024, according to the Bank of Estonia and Statistics Estonia, ERR reports. The household finance and consumption surveys showed that the median household had net wealth of EUR 103,300 in 2024, which was up more than double from EUR…
Baltic: Latvia’s population decline fastest in EU in 2005-2025
Latvia’s population has dropped at the highest rate in the entire EU over the last 20 years, according to Eurostat, LSM reported. Latvia’s population declined by 17% in 2005-2025. Meanwhile, Lithuania’s population decreased by 14%, whereas Estonia’s population only declined by 1% over the same period. The population totalled 2.89 million people in Lithuania, 1.86…
Estonia: Government approves new climate law
The Estonian government has approved a new climate law, sending the draft bill to the country’s parliament, the Riigikogu, for consideration, ERR reports. The legislation establishes general greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for 2030, 2035, and 2040. The parliament has already set a goal for climate neutrality by 2050. Sector-specific emission reduction targets are included…