Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal will host a summit of Baltic rim NATO countries in Helsinki on 14 January 2025 to discuss the security of critical undersea infrastructure and Russia’s shadow fleet, ERR reports. Political leaders from all Baltic rim NATO countries, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, and European Commission…
The Lithuanian Armed Forces (LGP) have opened the Lithuanian Cyber Defence Command (LTCYBERCOM), ELTA reports. The new unit is responsible for planning and executing cyber operations and for installing strategic and operational communications and information systems, ensuring interoperability with other national and NATO institutions. LTCYBERCOM was established in July 2024. The National Cyber Security Centre…
The Latvian National Armed Forces (NBS) have increased monitoring of Latvia’s critical undersea infrastructure, Defence Minister Andris Spruds announced, LETA reports. He noted that NATO’s response to the recent damage to infrastructure in the Baltic Sea had been swift. Latvia supports NATO’s increased military presence in the Baltic Sea, Spruds said. Meanwhile, Latvian President Edgars…
The prolonged war in Ukraine has forced Europe to wake up to the threat that Russia poses, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna told The Kyiv Independent. He pointed to a “change of mentality,” a realisation that Russia is an aggressive country and will remain a threat, and that Europe can actually fight back. Nevertheless, too…
Lithuania should withdraw from the Ottawa Treaty banning anti-personnel mines, Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas stated, BNS reports. He expects the Defence Ministry and Foreign Ministry to resolve the issue. Defence Minister Dovile Sakaliene said that the goal was to have a regional solution. Earlier, she said that military advice would be the key element in…
Latvia would support Estonia or Finland if they requested consultations with allies under NATO’s Article 4, Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics announced, LETA reports. He was responding to questions about the recent sabotage of undersea power and data cables in the Baltic Sea. Rinkevics stressed the need for bolstering the physical presence of NATO allied forces…
Ukraine did not use Estonian airspace in its latest drone attack against Russia’s port of Ust-Luga in the Leningrad region, according to the Estonian Air Force (Õhuvägi), ERR reports. Aivar Hanniotti, coordinator of UAV operations at the Estonian Defence League (Kaitseliit), said that the flight path of the attack drone likely started from Ukraine’s Kyiv…
Raising Lithuania’s defence spending to 4% of GDP would allow the country’s new army division to reach full operational capacity by 2030, Lithuania’s defence chief, General Raimundas Vaiksnoras, stated, Baltic News Network reports. Lithuania’s new government has increased its borrowing limit for 2025 by around EUR 800mn. The full amount would raise the defence budget…
Lithuania’s state-owned investment firm EPSO-G Invest and ammunition manufacturer Giraites Ginkluotes Gamykla (GGG) have signed an agreement to establish a joint venture, Rheinmetall Defence Lithuania, with German defence industry group Rheinmetall, Baltic News Network reports. Under the agreemnt, the companies will invest in an artillery ammunition plant in the town of Baisogala in Lithuania’s Radviliskis district. Rheinmetall…