The Baltic States in the Face of Russian Aggression in Ukraine

Abstract

Russia’s attack on Ukraine was a highly unexpected and extremely destructive step that destabilized the international security environment. As a consequence, similarly to the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014, there was a marked weakening of the sense of security of the small Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. In this case, the escalation of Russian military actions resulted in the necessity to take decisive steps. This chapter aims to show the evolution of the perception of the security of the Baltic states in connection with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The regional security triangle – the Baltic states–Russia–Ukraine – was analyzed in order to examine how the Baltic states combine elements of a security strategy with elements of international security in order to optimize their security situation. The analysis aims to answer the questions of how the war in Ukraine influenced the perception of security in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, and what actions were taken at the national and regional level. In addition, the subject of the study is the method of defining security by individual Baltic states and their citizens, and the identification of threats by them, as well as the national multidimensional strategies used, taking into account the dynamics and complexity of the contemporary global security environment.