The Baltic states regained independence more than 30 years ago. Now, Russia has them looking over their shoulder, again. Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine has left many people wondering whether Russia will set its power-hungry sights on the Baltic states, once more.
“There’s only one enemy and that’s Russia,” says Estonian national Ain Tähiste, summing up his views on the issue in a sentence: “Latvia, Finland, Sweden – and on the Baltic Sea Poland, Germany, Denmark,” he continues, “they’re all friends, but not the Russian neighbor.”
“It’s naïve to think Russia’s far away,” he adds.
Ain Tähiste guides the reporter team through the military museum on Hiiumaa. The Estonian island in the west of the country was off-limits to tourists during Soviet rule, because its location on the Baltic Sea made it strategically important to Moscow. Since the start of the Russian war on Ukraine, Estonia has removed old Soviet monuments form public spaces and banished some of them to museums. “The Soviet Union occupied Estonia in 1940,” Ain explains. “Are we still expected to pay our respects to the troops that occupied us? No, it was high time this happened!”
22-year-old Matthias Merelaine is from Tallinn and has no direct experience of the Soviet era. He’s nevertheless preoccupied by the question of whether Russia will try to return to the Baltics. “We’d be ready,” he says, “to go to the front, weapon in hand, to fight the enemy and defend the homeland.”
National guards are booming in Baltic nations – including Lithuania. Paulus Jurkus, son of a fisher from Kleipėda, says he wouldn’t run away, if attacked. The only port city in Lithuania, his home is not far from the border with the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.
This new aversion to Russians is also omnipresent in Latvia. Lauris Aleksejevs is a top chef in Latvia’s traditional seaside resort of Jurmala. The Russians used to be big spenders at Lauris’ restaurant. And since Latvia closed its borders to Russians, his income has nosedived. But he refuses to do business with the enemy.
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“Those who are complicit in dictatorships end up becoming their victims”
Im Lithuanian and I will tell you one thing its better to die than to live like a slave ! There is only one idea that unites russians – empire ! My great grandfather died in fighting against reds, his body was never found..
They (russians) never lived in baltic states before ww2, after ww2 they came from all over russia to live in people houses which were taken to siberia to die ! Do understand us? Germans you must never forget what russians did to you even after ww2, how many women have been raped by them ??? They are more cruel than animals..
as a dane i love, admire, respect and support our dear baltic brothers and hope they all will remain prosperous and peacefull. all the best from denmark !!!!
I born in Soviet Estonia in that time are friends and like brother's now we normal people can steal with this good idealogy just don't let political wash your brain and stay human who is always looking for enemies are dumb people.
But I don't believe that Russian can effort war with NATO look for military budget and numbers tale's you a lot so this is big myth of vatnik minds that's Russian army army second reality says it's even worst than Israel and China soy it's maybe fith in the list but always better be ready than feel sorry for not being ready.
I see no one from “Putin’s” side appears in the documentary, well done DW!
Moscow is hungry for sea access.
And the U.S.A. does'nt want control??????
Terrible to have a corrupt and aggressive neighbour. One you can never trust, in peace or war.
go speak with regulas people in lithuania…not this.go see reality
Leaving people alone as stateless, how does it match with EU values?
OUR P
Baltic States 98000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 x God
Why don't the Putin lovers go live in Russia? Then everyone is happy.
US is responsible for all the wars in the worlds. USA is biggest exporter of weapons' and is responsible for genocide in Gaza
Estonia, Tallinn one of the beautiful countries I visited in my Baltic Cruise. ❤
Still Estonia is unable to convict Soviet Union communist party members who used their rights in infringement of Europen Convention of Human Rights article 17 to abolish the rights of others – they are still in power in Estonia. Starting from Kallas, Lauristin, Anvelt, Ansip families, whos relatives made them carrier room in stalinist destruction battalions. How eest tolerates this situatsioon, where in 1956-57 nazi and communist partei were liquidated in Germany, is ridiculing human rights and international agreements.
Russia has a bad reputation trying to erase people's sense of belonging and culture.
Long live the Baltic Countries 🇬🇧❤ 🇪🇪 🇱🇻 🇱🇹
There running around like hippies they better get with the times war in right in front of them have they yet to talk to there citizens everyone fighting age should have to take a war classes teach how uses gun and such Europe is asleep at wheel.
When my son looked in his school dictionary for the definition of the word 'propaganda', this DW video came up. That was weird, why would anyone call this video propaganda?
Get over it ! Only people that Want the "baltic states' Already live there.
Ukraine .. With all that Western 'Aid' are Being Beaten.. badly.
Ukraine will collapse Very Soon. Then What ?
Narva used to be mostly estonian but WWII soviet carpet bombing changed that. Not to mention deportations, arrests and executions after the war. People in Narva are mostly illegal settlers that estonia just accepted after the fall of the soviet union (under EU pressure).
looks like a beautiful place to live.
Too many questions… What about German occupation of Baltic states in 40s and nowadays deployment of Geman troops in Lithuania?
What a vulgarization by equalization of modern Russia and USSR? What about of impact and help of Baltic state citizens on building USSR in a first place and their critical role in success of Russian revolution in October 1917?
What about of financial beneficiaries of wars and their role?
It seems for me that your goal is to sow the anger among people…
Putin Russia is an dictator country.
Its an anti Russian propaganda by dw news
What a stupid documentary. They attack ukraine because nato come to their border. Stop make people stupid
DW 🎉awesome Documentary
DW ,please make documentary on people suffering ( Bangladesh 🇧🇩 minority,Hindu)😢
Nice documentary. Horrible music
People don’t understand how horribly Russia abused the Eastern European countries, Poland, Baltic states. Poland’s national anthem is about breaking free from Russian and german occupation. Russia could never succeed in those countries. Russia is evil and now most rational people could see it. The rest needs taste of real Russia tbe abuser to understand.
Although Germany had lost ww1, they had temporarily won ww1 against Imperial Russia. That's when they forced Imperial Russia to create maps of the three Baltic states. Lenin drew maps of the three Baltic states with access to the sea. In the history of the world, certain ethnic groups grow smaller or bigger, and ethnic groups wither away, over the centuries. At the right time, Kaisers Germany forced Imperial Russia to make maps of the three Baltic states with access to the sea. Only problem was, there were ethnic Russians in excess numbers in the Baltic states away from their capital cities for 500 years, some from before the administrations of the Romanov dynasty. Only President George W Bush Junior could set this problem right by deporting some ethnic Russians who lived there in the Baltic states for 500 years.
Just look how beautiful and clean these countries are. No sign of any immigrants.
im glad you featured lower class and the homeless in your propaganda show. i wonder what they would say