August M
As drone sightings over Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia rise sharply, the Baltic nations are turning to Ukraine for expertise in building bomb shelters and countering potential Russian incursions.
Looking up at the sky was once a peaceful pastime across Eastern Europe. Today, that sense of calm is fading as unidentified flying objects cross international borders, prompting people on the ground to quietly prepare for an uncertain future, reports The Express.
Seeking shelter
Unmanned aircraft are appearing more frequently over Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. This sudden increase is putting the Baltic region on edge.
A NATO fighter jet recently destroyed a drone flying over Estonian territory. During a separate incident, top leaders in Lithuania had to take cover in underground bunkers.
The three nations need practical solutions quickly. They want Ukrainian experts to help them build bomb shelters and figure out how to stop the aerial incursions once and for all.
Ready to assist
According to POLITICO, Baltic officials have reached out to Ukrainian civil protection teams. They are also contacting defence manufacturers.
Ihor Fedirko, head of the Ukrainian Council of Defense Industry, spoke at an event in Prague about the requests. “They are not huge countries. They’re trying to find the best solutions against the Russian aggression, if it will happen, to keep safe and sound their people,” he said, according to POLITICO.
Yuriy Ryzhenkov, head of the Ukrainian steel company Metinvest, confirmed his business has spoken with Baltic leaders about building defensive structures.
Building a narrative
Beyond the physical threat, a diplomatic storm is brewing. Russia recently announced it will take the Baltic states to the International Court of Justice.
Moscow claims the rights of Russian speakers in those countries are being suppressed. Anton Gerashchenko, a former Ukrainian internal affairs minister, warned on X that this move is a dangerous signal.
He described the court move as the preparation of a legal narrative for future conflict. “Moscow’s rhetoric is standard and familiar: ‘language bans,’ ‘Russophobia,’ and ‘persecution of dissent,'” Gerashchenko wrote.
A familiar playbook
The former minister pointed out that Russia used this exact approach before invading Georgia in 2008. They spent years talking about protecting their citizens before sending in troops.
“The Kremlin then moved the concept of ‘protecting compatriots’ from propaganda into formal law,” Gerashchenko explained on X.
Because the Baltic countries belong to NATO and the EU, Moscow cannot easily hand out passports to create Russian citizens there. So they focus on language instead.
Testing the alliance
Gerashchenko noted that NATO membership remains the main deterrent for Moscow, but warned that Russia wants to create international doubt.
He argued the goal is to build a record of human rights complaints. This could become useful if Western commitment to the military alliance weakens.
“That very framework is now being deployed to justify a potential invasion of the Baltic states,” he concluded.
Sources: The Express, POLITICO, X
