Lithuania: Military deployed to Kaliningrad border
Lithuania’s Interior Minister, Martynas Katelynas, has asked Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas to deploy troops to…
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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:…
Lithuania: Military deployed to Kaliningrad border
Lithuania’s Interior Minister, Martynas Katelynas, has asked Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas to deploy troops to the country’s border with Russia’s Kaliningrad region, BNS reports. Katelynas said that the troop deployment was a preventive measure in response to an armed incident on Latvia’s border with Belarus. Speaking in an interview with Die Welt, Prime Minister Mindaugas…
Lithuania: Property developer most influential business person: polls
The founder and chairman of Lithuanian property developer Hanner, Arvydas Avulis, is the country’s most influential business person, according to two new polls, BNS reports. Avulis ranked highest in surveys of both the country’s professional elite and general public. Combining the two polls, 51.6% of respondents ranked Avulis first. Dainius Dundulis, founder and owner of…
Latvia: Armed men push migrants across border from Belarus
Armed men attempted to push a group of at least 20 migrants to cross the border from Belarus into Latvia illegally on 5 October 2026, according to the Latvian National Armed Forces (NBS), LETA reported. NBS soldiers prevented the attempt, which it said was particularly demonstrative and aggressive. During the incident, the masked armed men…
Estonia: GDP to grow 2.5% annually in 2026-2028: central bank
Estonia’s annual GDP growth will reach around 2.5% in 2026, 2027, and 2028, the Bank of Estonia forecasts, Estonian World reports. The country’s economic recovery is driven by increased household consumption following tax changes, higher government spending financed by borrowing, and stronger manufacturing exports. The central bank urged to boost productivity and competitiveness. The biggest…
Baltic: Housing prices up most in Lithuania in Q2/2026
Housing prices in the Baltic States rose the most in Lithuania in the second quarter of 2026, according to Eurostat data, BNS reported. Compared to the second quarter of 2025, housing prices in Lithuania rose by 14.3%, which was the third-largest increase in the EU. In Latvia, housing prices went up by 11.4% and in…
Lithuania: Trump to consider permanent US military base
US President Donald Trump will consider establishing a permanent US military base in Lithuania, LRT reports. Earlier, Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius announced that Lithuania was prepared to cover the costs of permanent US military presence in the country. He welcomed Trump’s response to the proposal, saying that US troop presence in Lithuania was a…
Latvia: President asks PM to form new government
Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics has asked Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs of the United List alliance to form a new government, LSM reports. Rinkevics hoped that the new government could be formed by 18 November 2026, LETA reported. He said that United List had obtained a “very impressive mandate” in the parliamentary elections on 3 October…
Estonia: Parties begin parliamentary election campaign
In Estonia, political parties have begun active campaigning ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections due in March 2027, setting up tents to talk with potential voters, ERR reports. In contrast to previous years, election campaigning on social media is now banned in Estonia. Parties will begin placing posters, outdoor advertising, and TV and radio commercials…
Baltic: Number of resident Russians down in 2025
The number of Russian citizens with valid residence permits declined in all three Baltic States in 2025, according to Eurostat data, Meduza reports. Since 2016, their number has fallen every year in Estonia and Latvia, but rose in Lithuania from 2019 to 2023. Estonia had 78,377 Russians with residence permits at the end of 2025,…