For this research paper, we will investigate why the Baltic states resist Russia. Russia’s aggression towards these countries necessitates their resistance. However, Russia already exerts significant influence over these countries. However, Russia cannot risk engaging with NATO members directly. This would prompt a response from other member states. Russia-NATO relations have not always been friendly. Russia claims that NATO expansion is a threat to them. Russia’s military exercises are also a big concern for the Baltic states. We can attribute the Baltic states’ relations with Russia to Russia’s long history of penetrating their political and intelligence processes. However, it is unlikely that Russia will engage military forces even after probing Baltic states’ capabilities.
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RUSSIA’S SPHERES OF INFLUENCE IN THE BALTIC STATES
The Baltic states’ relations with Russia are unlikely to end because of Russia’s influence over these countries. The Russian authorities retain a keen interest in gathering intelligence on political and military processes there. Russia’s aggression of intelligence penetration of all three Baltic states is very high. Lithuania’s National Threat Assessment noted Russia’s active intelligence operations targeting Lithuania’s foreign and domestic policies. However, Russia-NATO relations keep Russia’s aggression low. Estonia also experiences increasing Russian intelligence activity. There are several high-profile spy swaps. Russia also allocates significant intelligence-gathering resources to assess the Baltic states’ military capabilities. The Baltic states maintain that Russia works alongside Belarusian intelligence services to recruit informants, particularly from the Lithuanian military.
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RUSSIAN-SPEAKING COMMUNITIES IN THE BALTIC STATES
The Baltic state’s relations with Russia also include the Russian-speaking communities in Estonia and Latvia. The Baltic states maintain that the Kremlin could influence this community by playing on their grievances. They try to reduce Russia’s aggression towards these communities by emphasizing their political and economic marginalization. Many ethnic Russians do not have citizenship. This prevents them from voting in national elections. Some of these decisions have a basis on Russia-NATO relations that keep Russia from invading countries associated with Russia. As part of this, the Russian Duma (parliament) is in the process of passing a bill to simplify citizenship procedures for ethnic Russians living abroad.
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