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Category: Issue 4 2025

Issue 4/2025: Rebalancing the Baltic Sea region

Now available: This issue of New Eastern Europe explores the changes taking place in the Baltic/Nordic region, from new defence strategies and alliances, to civil preparedness and social resilience.

July 9, 2025 - New Eastern Europe

If the EU wants peace, it needs to prepare for war

An interview with Andrius Kubilius, the European Union’s Commissioner for Defence and Space. Interviewers: Joanna Maria Stolarek and Adam Reichardt

July 8, 2025 - Adam Reichardt Andrius Kubilius Joanna Maria Stolarek

Nordic-Baltic total defence: easier said than done

NATO’s newest members Finland and Sweden are already net contributors to Allied security. Well known for their military capability, the two countries also bring a new approach into the Alliance: total defence. While military cooperation is intensifying, civil defence and civil-military cooperation need to be better integrated into Nordic-Baltic regional defence.

Finland and Sweden are known for their so-called “total defence” approach to security, in which national defence is not only a task for the military but for the whole of society. The security concept was primarily developed for three reasons: their history outside of NATO, geographical proximity to the Soviet/Russian threat, and large territories with small populations.

July 8, 2025 - Eric Adamson Minna Ålander

Estonia’s road to comprehensive security

Since regaining independence in 1991, Estonia has undergone a rapid and determined transformation, embracing modernization, democracy and western integration. Yet its path to NATO membership and security reform was anything but straightforward, as it was shaped by regional geopolitics, western hesitations, and the lessons of Nordic neighbours.

Social modernization has been unrelenting since Estonia restored its independence in 1991. During the 1990s and early 2000s, Estonia, like many other post-communist aspirants for European Union and NATO membership, was criticized by its western neighbours for following an overly “modernist” security policy outlook. Re-establishing the armed forces and consolidating border controls dominated its early outlook sometimes at the expense of civil defence, crisis management and cooperative security then prioritized in the West’s shifting post-Cold War security mindset.

July 8, 2025 - Eoin Micheál McNamara

Is Latvia ready for war?

Riga has found itself at the centre of questions concerning NATO defence for many years. However, in recent years, these issues have increasingly moved beyond the abstract. Latvia must now prepare itself for a potential confrontation with Russian aggression while also ensuring the effectiveness of long-term alliance commitments.

On January 13th, as dusk settled over Riga, Artur Savelyev, an employee at Riga Airport, glanced out the window and caught sight of a drone in flight. He promptly contacted security, who quickly discovered it was neither an airport drone, nor was there any record of its ownership. What was even more concerning was that the airport radar had failed to detect it.

July 8, 2025 - Nasta Zakharevich

Latvia’s path to becoming Europe’s drone powerhouse

Motivation remains high in Latvia to continue efforts to aid Ukraine, with the country’s small size encouraging specialization. This is best seen in the recently announced Drone Coalition, which will see Riga lead allied efforts to deliver much-needed unmanned systems to Kyiv.

The Baltic states have been at the forefront of supporting Ukraine since the onset of the Russian invasion. Beyond financial aid to the Ukrainian military, these nations are striving to create innovative solutions, drawing from their experiences as small economies that must seek niches and specializations. They are now finding ways to amplify their impact despite relatively limited resources compared to larger countries.

July 8, 2025 - Maciej Makulski

Breaking ranks or building resilience? The role of women in the Latvian and Estonian armed forces

The steps taken by both Estonia and Latvia demonstrate a strong commitment not only to implementing comprehensive defence, but also embedding robust gender equality policies as an essential component for their armed forces. While notable progress has been made, especially in Latvia, where female participation rates are among the highest in NATO, persistent structural gaps remain, particularly in leadership representation, gender-sensitive planning, and strategic vision.

Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine and its continued hybrid operations have fundamentally reshaped the security environment in Europe, particularly for the Baltic states. The region now finds itself on the front line of a broader confrontation between authoritarian aggression and democratic resilience. This shift has forced both NATO and the Baltic nations to reassess their strategic posture and reinforce defence preparedness across all domains.

July 8, 2025 - Sigita Struberga

With a view to the Baltic Sea

Our geopolitical imagination, which until recently was stretched along the East-West axis, has now gained a new dimension – the North. This new perception is becoming the impetus for economic as well as demographic changes that are taking place along the Polish coast.

The city of Gdańsk, one of the largest port cities in Europe, reached the height of its power at the turn of the 17th century. During this period, it held the prestigious status of a royal city, enjoying extensive autonomy and maintaining its own naval fleet. In return for loyalty and financial support, the Polish kings granted the city numerous privileges. Thanks to its location on the Baltic Sea and at the mouth of the Vistula river, Gdańsk controlled the trade in grain, timber and salt.

July 8, 2025 - Piotr Leszczyński

Never before have we been so secure as today

“Two major developments have significantly strengthened Latvia’s security: its own accession to NATO and, more recently, the accession of Finland and Sweden to the Alliance.” This comparison was made by the former commander of the Latvian armed forces, Raimonds Graube (1999–2003, 2010–2017). Similarly, Latvia’s former defence minister, Imants Lieģis (2009–2010), remarked on the anniversary of Latvia’s accession to NATO – and on the eve of Finland and Sweden’s membership – that “never before in Latvia’s history have we been so secure as today”.

July 8, 2025 - Elizabete Vizgunova-Vikmane

Denmark: A small nation rethinking its security

On March 6th 2022, two weeks after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine had begun, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced a referendum on lifting the opt-out on Denmark’s participation in EU defence cooperation. The vote, held on June 1st, marked the end of one the four opt-outs that Copenhagen negotiated to convince their citizens to accept the Maastricht Treaty.

July 8, 2025 - Miłosz J. Cordes

A Baltic triangle

The dispute over where the geographical centre of Europe lies has been ongoing for centuries. Central European countries such as the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary – as well as Baltic Sea neighbours like Poland, Lithuania, Estonia and Sweden – have all laid claim to this symbolic status. While there are rational arguments behind each of these claims, viewing the region solely through the prism of geographic centrality is insufficient.

July 8, 2025 - Aleksandra Kuczyńska-Zonik

A German perspective on security and stability in the Baltic Sea

As seen from Berlin, Sweden and Finland’s accession to NATO significantly enhances security in the Baltic Sea region and the wider Euro-Atlantic area. This is especially true given the renewed uncertainty and geopolitical tensions in the region as a spillover from Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

July 8, 2025 - Thomas Michael Linsenmaier

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