Baltic Sea countries are discussing a plan to form joint special forces to quickly respond to Russian hybrid attacks, German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt announced on Friday, quoted by DPA, "Deutsche Welle" and Reuters. He made the statement at a forum in the northern German city of Flensburg, BTA reports.
The high-level meeting on security in the Baltic Sea gathered for a working lunch at the "Mürvik" naval academy representatives of the interior ministries of 9 countries in the region - Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Sweden and Norway, plus Ireland, which is the current rotating presidency of the Council of the EU.
Irish Home Affairs Minister Jim O'Callaghan had a bilateral meeting with his Lithuanian counterpart Martinas Katelinas. Lithuania takes over the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU from Ireland on January 1, 2027. The participants in the summit also took a tour of the Baltic Sea on a German police motorboat, Deutsche Welle reported. They observed defensive operations in the Flensburg Fjord.
“The aim is to create a rapid reaction task force that will allow us to quickly exchange information, especially in the Baltic Sea region,“ Dobrindt said in Flensburg, quoted by DPA. “We want to turn this area of danger for everyone into an area of protection for everyone,“ said the German Interior Minister. “Hybrid scenarios are growing, becoming more serious and are ubiquitous,“ he added, noting that the threats are present in the air - mainly with drones - and at sea, but also affect cyberspace and strategic infrastructure.
“The goal is to formulate joint responses on how we intend to deal with the escalating threat,“ said Dobrindt, adding that he expects a further increase in the frequency and sophistication of hybrid attacks. The agenda of the conference in Flensburg, in northeastern Germany, also included the latest report on the activities of the Russian "shadow fleet" in the Baltic Sea, DPA reported.
"Foreign powers are trying to attack our security with hybrid methods, to destabilize our democracies, to weaken our economy. Drone attacks, cyberattacks, espionage, disinformation, arson of strategic infrastructure, covert operations and the use of single-use weapons are increasing rapidly," emphasized Dobrint, quoted by "Deutsche Welle". "We want to investigate, deter and protect faster", the minister noted.
"The stronger our cooperation is before a potential crisis, the more effective our response will be when it comes", Lithuanian Interior Minister Katelinas said, quoted by his ministry's website.
"We must ensure that hostile actions do not affect our borders and that those with malicious intent do not take advantage of our differences and gaps in our information exchange. Security in the Baltic Sea depends on our ability to act together", pointed out the minister, whose country takes over the EU presidency in the New Year. In connection with this responsible role, Lithuania intends to place significant emphasis on strengthening the common European defense capacity and improving the ability to assess possible hybrid threats, the website of the Lithuanian Ministry of Internal Affairs writes.
Request for additional funding of $115 billion
Lithuanian Radio and Television (LRT) reported on Thursday that in a letter seen together with its partners by the American international media organization "Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty", five Baltic Sea countries are asking the EU for additional funding to strengthen their defense against the Russian threat. The letter expresses growing concern about Russian aggression in the Baltics, speaking of a "deteriorating security environment" against the backdrop of "increased frequency of airspace violations and drone incursions".
The letter was sent to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and was signed by the three EU commissioners from the Baltic republics - Estonian Kaja Kalas, the EU's high representative for foreign policy and security, European commissioner for defence and space Andrius Kubilius (Lithuania) and EU commissioner for economy and productivity Valdis Dombrovskis (Latvia), as well as by the Polish and Finnish commissioners, who are also in the Baltic Sea region - Piotr Ceferin, whose portfolios are budget, anti-fraud and public administration, and Hena Virkunen, who is responsible for technological sovereignty, security and democracy.
Baltic diplomats who spoke to "Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty" confirmed that new intelligence on Russian false flag operations had arrived this summer, but there was no sign of a conventional attack. Such operations may not be limited to the Baltic Sea countries, LRT points out, noting that at first glance the three Baltic republics - Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia - seem ideally positioned to counter any kind of Russian attack.
They have long warned about various forms of hostile Russian activity. These countries have reached or will soon reach NATO's goal of each member state spending 5 percent of its gross domestic product on defense annually by 2035. In addition, the EU has pledged and begun granting approximately $14 billion in loans for defense and security investments in the region, LRT notes.
In addition to conventional defense training, the Baltic republics are also at the forefront of cutting-edge technologies - especially Estonia. An example is the Estonian company "DefSecIntel Solutions" (DefSecIntel Solutions), whose artificial intelligence software analyzes the captured images and presents all the information on one screen.
“We decided to support our Ukrainian colleagues - since the fall of 2022 we have been on the front line with them. And our technologies are being used there. This certainly gave us a big boost“, says Jaan Hein, vice president of the company, quoted by LRT. He points out that the company's products are used to protect the borders of Estonia, as well as over ten other countries.
Negotiations for the next seven-year EU budget began with the European Commission's proposal for a $145 billion fund for security and defense investments, LRT recalls, drawing attention to the concerns of many EU officials that defense money could be reduced. "This fear is evident in the letter signed by the five European commissioners", the Lithuanian Radio and Television website states.
Some of the proposals have symbolic significance, such as an "urgent" visit of the entire European Commission to one of the "frontline" countries - that is, on the EU border with Russia, this autumn. "We all see the escalation of threats against the Baltic states", the letter says.
However, the main request is for additional funding of $115 billion to strengthen the business and investment environment in the countries on the bloc's external border, LRT notes. Pointing to the increasing activity with drones and other types of activity by Russia, it says that "these incidents are already having a negative impact on the business environment in the region and on public trust in security forces". "To prevent further deterioration of the situation and to strengthen deterrence, visible and timely actions are needed", the five countries noted through their European Commissioners.
Among the measures outlined in the letter are "a capacity for rapid response to power outages and damage to key electricity and gas infrastructure, the creation of regional stocks of essential goods and the provision of civil protection funds, shelters and evacuation infrastructure, as well as readiness to respond to hybrid, cyber, sabotage, electronic and information threats", LRT summarizes.
Draft order on state of emergency in Latvia
The Latvian government has prepared the declaration of a state of emergency along the country's eastern border with Russia, with Prime Minister Andris Kullbergs trying to reassure the public on Thursday that the possible measure is not a reason for concern, informs the website of the Latvian Radio and Television (LSM).
"I want to make it clear to the people of Latvia that there is currently no reason for concern. The level of military threat to the country has not changed. The danger of a direct Russian military invasion of Latvia is currently low. This is confirmed by the assessment of the responsible institutions in the security sector and was also publicly emphasized by the President of Latvia (Edgars Rinkēvičs - ed. note)“, Kulbergs said in a statement on behalf of his government. Earlier this month, Latvia mobilized reservists and organized a National Guard exercise with drones.
The Latvian government issued a statement saying that a draft order prepared by the Ministry of Climate and Energy to declare a state of emergency on Latvia’s eastern border was a "preventive and temporary legal solution to ensure the continuity of strategic services during a possible threat to airspace".
"Preparing for a potential threat is not the same as a direct threat. These two things should not be confused. The government has an obligation to be prepared for the worst-case scenarios, and that is why we are strengthening the resilience of the country’s strategic infrastructure," the prime minister stressed.
"Security is not a tool for election rhetoric, and political points should not be scored by exploiting people’s fears. The public has the right to receive accurate, timely and understandable information. I apologize to anyone who was concerned by the insufficiently explained information“, the Prime Minister, who headed a caretaker government until the parliamentary elections on October 3, emphasized.
"If hospitals, energy supply, water resources management or other providers of key services need special legal regulation to continue their work and protect their employees in the event of a threat, the government will evaluate the relevant proposals and make the necessary decisions. However, technical and organizational measures for state preparedness should not be interpreted as if Latvia is on the brink of war“, Kulbergs concluded, quoted by LSM.