The United States never recognized the Soviet conquest of the Baltic States. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, those states were welcomed back as independent states. Russia has applied pressure on these NATO states that is a low-level war. Russia could ratchet that up in the future.
A CRS report on the Baltic States, Russia's hybrid threat, and U.S. relations with those NATO allies:
Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine has intensified U.S. and NATO concerns about the potential threat of Russian military action against the Baltic states. The Baltic states have strongly supported Ukraine, including by providing military assistance and imposing sanctions against Russia that go beyond those adopted by the EU. The Baltic states have been increasing their defense spending and seeking to build up their military capabilities, although their defense planning continues to rely heavily on their NATO membership. The Baltic states exceed NATO’s target for member states to spend at least 2% of gross domestic product on defense.
The Baltic states have experienced various hybrid warfare attacks, attributed predominantly to Russia but also to China. Hybrid threats to the Baltic states include disinformation campaigns, cyberattacks, sabotage, and weaponized migration. The Baltic states have sought to strengthen their societal resilience to hybrid threats, and NATO leaders have sought to increase member countries’ cooperation on countering hybrid warfare tactics.
I think the Baltic region is the area NATO should focus on--as long as Ukraine stands and shields the NATO states west of Ukraine. I have specific thoughts on the security of Narva, Estonia, against a high-end form of so-called hybrid warfare in the latest Army magazine. I expanded on that in Substack.
The Baltic State members of NATO organized a summit in Helsinki focused on defeating sabotage in the Baltic Sea. NATO forces have been committed to the defense of undersea infrastructure from such attacks.
And as long as I'm in the neighborhood, hybrid war is simply aggression that Russia denies--and the West goes along with that fiction. Until now.
NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here.
NOTE: I'm adding updates on the Last Hamas War in this post.
NOTE: You may also like to read my posts on Substack, at The Dignified Rant: Evolved. Go ahead and subscribe to it.
