The number of border violations on Latvia’s eastern border with Belarus is increasing amid warmer weather, State Border Guard (VRS) chief Guntis Pujats announced, LSM reports. He noted that the situation on the border remained calm in January and early February 2024, but that the number of attempts to cross the border illegally had picked up…
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said that the likely nomination of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as NATO’s new secretary general raised the question of whether the alliance has first-rank and second-rank members, Politico reported. She pointed out that Rutte would be the fourth NATO chief from the Netherlands. “Are we equals or are we…
Latvian Defence Minister Andris Spruds has welcomed the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission to Latvia in a ceremony at the Lielvarde Air Base of the Latvian National Armed Forces (NBS), LSM reports. Latvia will host the mission for the next nine months during major reconstruction at Estonia’s Ämari Air Base. The mission’s other base at…
Vehicles with Russian licence plates will have to be entered into Lithuania’s national vehicle register or leave the country by 11 March 2024, the Lithuanian Customs Department (LRM) announced, ERR reports. Drivers violating the new rule risk fines and having their vehicles confiscated. Exceptions apply to vehicles transiting via Lithuania to or from Russia’s Kaliningrad…
Russian fascist symbols continue to appear in public places in Latvia, LSM reports. In the latest incident, the letters Z and V, which indicate support for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, were spray-painted onto a bus stop along the Jelgava highway in Olaine. Public outcry prompted state road management company Latvijas Valsts Celi to…
Estonia’s electricity transmission system operator, Elering, has finally located the fault in the EstLink 2 power cable connecting Estonia and Finland, ERR reports. Complexities due to the area’s terrain and the cable’s design mean that repairs will now extend until the end of August 2024, the company announced. Initially, Elering expected the cable to be…
Latvia’s Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) has recovered EUR 120,000 in a bribery case involving a Latvian company attempting to bribe a Lithuanian official, LSM reports. The individual was prosecuted in Lithuania, while KNAB held the Latvian company liable through local courts. The unnamed company had tried to bribe the commander of the Lithuanian…
Members of the national defence committee of the Estonian parliament, the Riigikogu, visited Israel and called for closer ties between the two countries, ERR reported. The MPs condemned the Palestinian terrorist organisation, Hamas, and urged Palestinians to reject the group. The Estonian parliamentarians encouraged Israel to consider providing military aid to Ukraine. Also, they highlighted…
The Lithuanian Armed Forces (LGP) has reassured the public on social media that there is no imminent threat of war, LRT reports. Responding to questions from the public, LGP noted that there was no concentration of military equipment on the country’s borders and no indication of an enemy’s intention to attack. The statement emphasised the…