Recent drone incidents in the Baltic States are part of Russia’s strategy to destabilise democratic societies in the region, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated, BNS reports. Speaking after a meeting with Baltic presidents in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, von der Leyen stressed the need for EU unity in support of the three…
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…
Nordic and Baltic foreign ministers condemned Russian threats to attack the Baltic States amid Ukrainian drone strikes, Reuters reported. Earlier, Russia claimed that Ukraine was using NATO airspace as cover for drone attacks on Russian targets. In a joint statement, the NB8 foreign ministers rejected “Russia’s blatant disinformation campaign and false claims, supported by Belarus,…
NATO has the means to destroy air defence and missile bases in Russia’s Kaliningrad region, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys stated, BNS reported. Speaking in an interview with Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Budrys said that “we must show the Russians that we can penetrate the little fortress they have built in Kaliningrad,” LETA reported. Also, he…
The presidents of the Baltic States strongly condemned airspace violations by drones flying in from Russia and Belarus, ERR reported. In a joint statement, the three presidents rejected Russia’s disinformation campaign and threats related to the drone incursions, saying that Russia was trying to undermine Ukraine’s right to defend itself against Russian aggression. They reiterated…
Leaders of NATO and the EU expressed full support for the Baltic States after Russian threats, ERR reported. Russia accused the Baltic States of allowing Ukrainian drone strikes from their territory, threatening retaliation. NATO secretary general Mark Rutte called the Russian accusations “absolutely ridiculous,” while European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen stated that the…
The Lithuanian Armed Forces (LGP) issued an air alert in the country’s capital, Vilnius, after a drone was sighted over Vilnius district, LRT reported. LGP activated the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission after radars detected the suspected drone within Belarusian territory. Lithuanian leaders, including President Gitanas Nauseda and Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene, as well as members…
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…
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…