The Baltic region is often referred to as NATO's Achilles' heel, partly because of its geographical location and its defence capabilities.

The Suwalki Corridor, allegedly the weakest link of NATO, is a narrow strip of land stretching approximately 65 kilometres between Poland and Lithuania. Belarus lies at one end of this strip, while the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad is at the other, and a Russian attack could isolate the entire Baltic region. Since the beginning of the Ukraine war, there has been a growing fear in the Baltic states that they could be next.

„They will destroy Ukraine. And who knows what else? If Ukraine falls, everyone will realise that we are next. Putin will not stop. He cannot stop,”

– Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said recently. So, Lithuania is preparing for war, according to German press reports.

We didn’t want this war, it was Putin’s choice, not ours. Now we must erase the red lines we drew for ourselves, turn the tide and equip Ukraine to win. pic.twitter.com/29LYzcH4fh

— Gabrielius Landsbergis🇱🇹 (@GLandsbergis) February 20, 2024

In the past year and a half, Lithuanian authorities have established more than 3,300 shelters, for example in underground corridors or schools, but we still don’t have enough. „The current emergency shelters can provide temporary refuge for over 900,000 people, which is almost a third of our country’s population,” the minister emphasized. Lithuania also wants to make sure that its citizens know where to flee and hide in an emergency.

The citizens of Baltic states need to practice not only how to seek shelter, but also how to protect themselves, which the next generation is already learning. Survival courses will prepare schoolchildren on how to administer first aid and use weapons. The Baltic countries want to join forces to build defence facilities on their borders with Russia and Belarus. A system of bunkers and defence lines will be built from 2025.

Support for Ukraine is also an important element of the Baltic States’ self defence, at least this is what they think. So far, Latvia has spent a total of one percent of its gross domestic product on this effort, Latvian PM Evika Silina said on Thursday.

„Our message to the aggressor is clear: don’t come here at all, because we will defend our country, each and every centimetre, together with our NATO allies,”

– the politician told the Latvian parliament.

Šogad kopējais Latvijas valsts atbalsts Ukrainai pārsniegs 200 miljonus eiro. Jau no pirmās Krievijas kara dienas Ukrainu ir sargājuši Latvijas ieroči. Mēs apmācām Ukrainas karavīrus. Militārā palīdzība turpināsies. Tā šogad sasniegs 0,25% no IKP. #StandWithUkraine 🇱🇻🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/o0gCYHceSs

— Evika Siliņa 🇱🇻🇺🇦 (@EvikaSilina) February 22, 2024

The Baltic states are also seeking to enhance their capabilities to counter hybrid attacks in the future. Last year, in Estonia, the car windows of the interior minister and a journalist were reportedly smashed, and monuments were vandalised, allegedly on Russian orders, although authorities have yet to establish a definitive Russian link.