Russia and the Baltic countries are running for cover. “Line of defense”, escalation increasingly likely

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have reached an agreement on the creation of an increasingly frightening “line of defense” on the border with Russia almost exactly two years after the start of the war in Ukraine. News of the agreement was released by the Estonian Ministry of Defense. «The Baltic States agreed to create a Baltic defense line along the eastern border. It is imperative to use time wisely to increase defense readiness”, said the ministry in a post on its page X (formerly Twitter). The Estonian Ministry of Defense clarified that the line agreement was signed today in Riga by the heads of the defense departments of the three republics. The objective of creating a “defensive zone” in the coming years will be “to deter and, if necessary, defend against a military threat”.

Meanwhile, Belarus, a close ally of Russia, will present a new military doctrine that for the first time involves the use of nuclear weapons. Last year, Moscow sent tactical nuclear weapons to be placed in Belarus, but there are no details on the number. The nation led by Vladimir Putin has said it will maintain control over these weapons, which are intended for battlefield use and have short ranges and relatively low yields, but it is currently unclear how the new doctrine might be applied to Russian weapons. The doctrine will be presented for approval to the Belarusian People’s Assembly, a representative body that operates in Belarus in parallel with the Parliament.

When it was part of the Soviet Union, Belarus had tactical and long-range nuclear weapons, but after the collapse of the USSR it transferred them to Russia. Moscow used Belarusian territory as a springboard to send its troops to Ukraine on February 24, 2022 and maintained its military bases and weapons there, although Belarusian troops did not participate in the war. Belarusian Security Council Secretary Alexander Volfovich said that the deployment of Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus was aimed at deterring aggression by Poland, which is a member of NATO.