The Baltic States and Poland are preparing for possible Russian false-flag attacks against critical infrastructure, Reuters reports. Authorities have increased security measures at power and energy infrastructure facilities. A Baltic intelligence official expressed worry that a Russian attack could trigger “political chaos” at NATO headquarters and in allied capitals on how to respond. Latvia’s Constitution…
Latvia’s national airline, airBaltic, will reduce flights from Lithuania in winter 2026/2027, BNS reports. The company will suspend flights from Vilnius to Berlin and Dubai, and from Palanga to Tenerife. Also, airBaltic will have less flights from Vilnius to Tallinn. Edvards Dalderis, spokesman of airBaltic, insisted that the reductions were not related to the company’s…
Altogether 257,373 Latvian nationals lived abroad at the end of the first half of 2026, which was up 1.5% from 253,572 in the beginning of 2026, according to data from the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP), LETA reports. The number of Latvians in the UK totalled 102,086 (up by 950), followed by Germany…
Lithuania’s new government is not expected to make any major changes in foreign policy, LRT reports. Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius named regional security, Baltic cooperation, and strengthening ties with the US as his priorities, BNS and The Baltic Times reported. The government calls for a more united Europe, while maintaining strategic partnerships with Germany, Poland,…
At their summit in the Turkish capital, Ankara, NATO leaders decided to turn the alliance’s rotating Baltic Air Policing mission into an air defence mission, ERR reported. The change will allow NATO fighter aircraft to respond more rapidly to threats in Baltic airspace. NATO’s air operations centre in Uedem, Germany, will have authority to decide…
Latvia’s foreign trade turnover totalled EUR 15.01bn at current prices in the first four months of 2026, which was up EUR 589.1mn (4.1%) from the same period of 2025, according to the Central Statistical Bureau’s (CSP) provisional data, LSM reported. The total value of goods exports amounted to EUR 6.94bn (up 2.2%) and imports to…
Estonia’s exports of services totalled nearly EUR 3.3bn in the first quarter of 2026, which was up 4% from the same period of 2025, according to data from Statistics Estonia and the Bank of Estonia. Imports of services totalled around EUR 2.5bn, which was unchanged over a year. Estonia’s trade balance in services showed a…
NATO plans to assign additional forces to defend the Baltic States, Reuters reports. Military sources revealed that Germany and the Netherlands had agreed to assign the 1 German-Netherlands Corps (1GNC), based in the German city of Münster, to the defence of Estonia and Latvia. The move would facilitate the rapid deployment of forces into the…
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…
