EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW — In any discussion of the potential threat Russia poses beyond Ukraine, the three Baltic states are at the top of the list. With the possible exception of Poland, no other nations have been as menaced by Moscow over the past century. For five decades Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia were under the powerful boot of Soviet communism, and they were among the first Soviet republics to rise up against Moscow in the waning years of the U.S.S.R. They are also Russia’s neighbors, and while Lithuania was once a major European power (see the 15th century Grand Duchy of Lithuania), today the three countries combined are dwarfed in size and population by Ukraine.
All of which helps explain why the Baltic nations see themselves as fragile frontline states in the struggle against Russian aggression – real and potential. They have been among the strongest supporters of the Ukrainian resistance, and in a small but telling sign this week, Lithuania’s defense minister said the Baltic countries should shoot down any Russian drones that drift into their airspace. That followed the recent news that a Russian drone had crashed in Latvian territory.
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