Former US ambassador to Poland Daniel Fried: “If the Russians try something serious in the Baltics, there will be fighting. This is not some kind of situation where NATO is going to get to have a long discussion."
The journalist who composed the European spy ranking says two Estonians participated in the vote, although neither wished to be identified. "Without violating the confidentiality agreement, I can say that both have led the Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service during the past five years,” he said 😅.
Europe’s spy ranking reveals the strengths and blind spots of Nordic and Baltic intelligence services. British agencies rank first, Estonia eighth, Lithuania 18th, and Latvia 21st. Hungary, Bulgaria, and Slovakia rank as the worst performers.
Two Estonian generals write that Baltic states cannot wait for drone-defense technology to mature. Instead, they should adopt what works in Ukraine, discard what does not, and keep learning. The key lesson is simple: adaptability is itself a combat capability.
Estonian former defense chief General Herem says Syrskyi does not deserve the ‘Butcher’ label, critics have judged him too harshly. He also says Estonia would face same dilemmas defending Narva as Syrskyi had in Bakhmut.
Lithuania’s own Black Hawk helicopters take to the skies. Former Mi-8 (a helicopter of Soviet origin) pilots say it is like changing a tractor against a Lamborghini.
Each Baltic country is approaching the construction ofthe defensive line on the eastern border differently. 🇱🇹 is building a 50-kilometer-deep zone. 🇱🇻 is keeping plans largely secret. 🇪🇪 has moved fastest to dig ditches and is debating over whether its ditches would actually stop a Russian assault.
Estonian sources confirm that a new threat narrative is circulating within the Alliance about a possible Russian military provocation against NATO. They also suggest that Poland’s decision to amplify it may be politically motivated.
One of the best American military commanders of its generation, known to the world as last American to leave Kabul ends his U.S. Army career on NATO’s Eastern Flank in the Estonian-Latvian twin city of Valga/Valka.