Baltics Archives - Estonian World

The role of the United States in the restoration of Estonia’s independence

Mari-Ann Kelam / July 4, 2022

The US policy of not recognising the annexation of the Baltic states formed an international anchor which fostered the hope that justice would one day prevail, and strongly influenced the behaviour of other Western states for 50 years.* The Welles Declaration My experience is that the US – the biggest Western democracy – has helped Estonia […]

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The largest Spring Storm military exercise is on the way in Estonia

Sten Hankewitz / May 10, 2019

The largest Spring Storm military exercise in the history where, in addition to the Estonian troops, also 2,500 allied military personnel from 17 countries participate in, is on the way; the allies are practicing cooperation under the Estonian lead. The countries participating in the Spring Storm (Kevadtorm in Estonian) military drill are the United States,

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Study: the Baltics could stop Russia with a guerrilla army

Sten Hankewitz / May 6, 2019

According to a recent study by RAND Corporation, a US-based think tank, creating a guerrilla army in the Baltics may be an option to stop Russia from invading. The think tank points out in its study that even though Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania wouldn’t stand a chance in a conventional war with Russia, creating a

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UK to deploy nearly 2,000 military personnel to the Baltic Sea in May

Sten Hankewitz / April 7, 2019

The United Kingdom will deploy nearly 2,000 armed forces personnel to the Baltic Sea for a series of multinational exercises in support of European security. Sailors and marines from all nations of the UK-led high-readiness Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) will take part in the deployment due to take place in May, “which will underline the

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Estonia leads the Baltics in the number of startups per capita

Sten Hankewitz / December 5, 2018

Estonia leads the Baltic states in the number of startups per capita – the country has 5.2 startups per 100,00 inhabitants while Latvia has 1.8 and Lithuania 1.4. According to the Baltic Startup Scene report 2017-2018, compiled by Startup Wise Guys, an Estonia-based startup accelerator, and EIT Digital, Estonia has 673 startups for its population

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Satellite images show potential Russian military buildup near Baltics

Sten Hankewitz / October 17, 2018

New satellite images show Russia is possibly upgrading its military installations in Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave right near the Baltic states, some 400 kilometres (250 miles) from the Estonian border. The satellite images were exclusively obtained by the CNN and they show Russia appears to upgrade four of its military installations in the Kaliningrad region.

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Russia threatened to use nukes against the Baltics – book

Sten Hankewitz / September 16, 2018

According to the newly-released book, “Fear” by the legendary journalist Bob Woodward, Russia warned the United States that it could use nuclear weapons against the Baltics. “Russia had privately warned [the US defence secretary Jim] Mattis that if there was a war in the Baltics, Russia would not hesitate to use tactical nuclear weapons against

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What to keep in mind when you rent a car in the Baltic states

Gerda Suumann / July 10, 2018

Summer is the time for travelling, and often a car is the preferred means of transport as it enables you to take more luggage than allowed on a plane and gives greater freedom of movement; but if you rent a car, you should pay attention to several aspects to make the rental as safe as

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The missing piece in the German foreign policy discourse: the Baltic Sea region

Piret Kuusik / July 1, 2018

With the recent German coalition agreement in place, attention turns to Germany’s role in Europe. This article was originally published in the International Centre for Defence and Security’s blog. Although the German election campaign revolved around issues of domestic politics, the approved coalition agreement included a chapter on Germany’s role in the EU, Europe and the world. There is

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Typhoon aircraft arrival at the Amari Air Base in Estonia as the prepare to start a period of Baltic Air Policing. Photo: UK Ministry of Defence

Air defence the most critical gap in the Baltics’ military capabilities – report

Sten Hankewitz / July 1, 2018

Air defence is the biggest and most critical gap in military capabilities in the Baltic region – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are able to defend only a handful of locations for a short period of time, and there are no standing NATO air defence assets in the region to supplement local capabilities, a report by

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