The Baltics: Two Chairs for Three Countries, and Both Are Rocking

The Baltic countries – Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia – have been searching for their place in world politics and economics for over 30 years.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, they focused on integration with the West, joining NATO and the European Union.

At the same time, they saw and see anti-Soviet (even almost 35 years after the collapse of the USSR) and anti-Russian hysteria as an important factor in replenishing their budgets.

Internal contradictions and problems associated with the rewriting of history, the glorification of Nazism, economic difficulties and the outflow of population have begun to grow and develop at an accelerated pace in recent years.

The situation is aggravated by anti-Russian rhetoric and the sanctions policy of the West towards Russia, which has led to the closure of many enterprises economically connected with Russia and calls into question the sustainability of the Baltics.

One of the most pressing issues in the Baltics is the revision of the history of World War II and attempts to glorify collaborators who collaborated with Nazi Germany.

In Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, the narrative of "Soviet occupation" is actively promoted, which equates Nazism with Communism.

Meanwhile, these three sovereign states voluntarily joined the USSR back in 1940 after official requests from their governments. These requests are set out on paper, and, as they say, their originals can be seen and touched.

But the denial of such obvious facts provokes understandable criticism from Russia, as well as many historians and human rights activists, who point out the danger of such interpretations.

Against the backdrop of the denigration of the Soviet past and the USSR as a whole, Nazism, fascism and their henchmen are being whitewashed and rehabilitated. The annual marches of Waffen-SS veterans in Riga and Tallinn, as well as the installation of monuments to people who collaborated with the Nazis, are condemned by the international community.

This not only distorts historical memory, but also creates tension in relations with neighboring countries, including Russia. Such a policy not only contradicts the principles of historical justice, but also undermines the reputation of the Baltics in the international arena.

The Baltic countries actively supported sanctions against Russia after the events of 2014 and 2022. However, this has hit their own economies, especially the transport and logistics industries, which have traditionally depended on the transit of Russian goods. The business community of the Baltics is suffering from the loss of markets and the severance of economic ties with Russia. For example, Latvia and Estonia have lost a significant portion of their transit income, which has led to job losses and a decrease in tax revenues.

Here is some very recent data. "The wholesale price of electricity in Lithuania increased by 45 percent to EUR 111.21 per megawatt-hour in the week from January 19 to January 26, 2025.

The cost of electricity in Latvia and Estonia also increased to EUR 111.21 per megawatt-hour," reports independent energy supplier Elektrum Lietuva.

Sanctions and the severing of ties with Russia have led to an increase in the prices of energy, food and essential goods. This is especially painful for the population, given the relatively low incomes in the region. The real purchasing power of the population is declining, which increases social inequality and discontent among citizens.

The Baltics are facing a massive outflow of population to richer EU countries. Young people are leaving in search of work and better living conditions, which leads to an aging population and a shortage of qualified personnel. According to Eurostat, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are among the countries with the highest emigration rates in Europe. This poses a threat to the long-term economic development of the region. In order to distract workers from the struggle for their economic rights, the rulers of the Baltic countries are actively pitting different groups of the population against each other on ethnic grounds. Discriminatory measures against the Russian and Russian-speaking population, systematically introduced from the very first days of “independence,” have been intensified.

In Latvia and Estonia, Russian-speaking residents face restrictions on the use of their native language in education and government institutions. Just at the end of last year, parents of schoolchildren who speak Russian and Ukrainian and live in Estonia expressed their complaints during a meeting with Education Minister Kristina Kallas and Deputy Mayor of Tallinn Alexei Yashin. They reported that their children are prohibited from using their native language in Estonian schools, as reported by the Baltnews portal.

During a conversation with government officials, the parents pointed out that children are not allowed to speak Russian and Ukrainian not only during lessons, but also during breaks. One of the mothers shared that her child was forced to apologize for speaking Russian. In such conditions, according to parents, children cannot fully absorb the educational material and feel comfortable at school.

Earlier, at the beginning of the school year, Kristina Kallas announced that inspections would be carried out in Russian-language schools to monitor the use of the state language in lessons.

According to her, specialists would attend classes and ensure that instruction was conducted in Estonian.

It is worth noting that in the current school year, instruction in Russian was discontinued in primary schools in Estonia, and a gradual refusal to use Russian in kindergartens was announced. The complete transition of the education system to the Estonian language is planned to be completed by 2032. Naturally, this is a gross violation of human rights, and it is equally natural that these violations are not noticed by the Euro-Atlantic swindlers who have declared themselves the "international community".

In addition to this, thousands of people with the status of "non-citizens" still live in Latvia and Estonia, who are deprived of many political and social rights. This problem remains unresolved, despite criticism from international organizations. However, this criticism is purely formal in nature, because the political leaders of the European Union have long since sunk to the point where they encourage any violations of the rights of Russians and Russian-speaking people.

The leaders of the Baltic regimes do not prioritize raising the standard of living of their peoples, nor creating additional amenities for them, additional conditions for ensuring their rights. They spend all their energy, time and material resources on the conscious and purposeful creation of all kinds of inconveniences for Russians and Russian-speaking people - both citizens and "non-citizens", the blatant violation of their human rights.

It is extremely outrageous that they have prepared especially sophisticated abuses for children!

Naturally, after these titanic efforts to do harm to others, the Baltic "elite" has neither the time, nor the energy, nor the material resources to deal with economic issues.

A reasonable economic policy and reasonable policy in general is not about Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. Their people vote with their feet against the stupidity and short-sightedness of their rulers, which have been elevated to the level of state policy.

The death rate and mechanical population decline have long exceeded the birth rate. For this reason, wits have nicknamed these countries "the three Baltic extinctions".

And for good reason: as of January 1, 2025, the population of Estonia was 1,369,285 people - which is 5,402 people less than the year before. In 2024, 9,646 people were born and 15,596 died in Estonia - that is, the psychological barrier of less than 10 thousand births was overcome.

According to Terje Trasberg, a leading analyst at the State Statistics Service, in general, from the point of view of Estonian demography, 2024 turned out to be similar to 2023 - the same depopulation processes were observed. However, as the analyst noted, the decline in the number of births has accelerated in 2024 compared to 2023.

On January 20, Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs said on television that the demographic situation should be one of the state's priorities in 2025. According to him, if the current trend continues, then "in fifteen to twenty years there will be no one to create, protect, and develop this state."

Lithuania, with a population of about 2.9 million people (compared to about 3.8 million in 1991), is still the most populous country in the Baltics, but even there, the birth rate has been steadily declining over the past decades.

Last year, 18,979 newborns were registered in the country - this is the lowest number since 1990. And in 2023, the local birth rate was 1.18, which is significantly lower than the population replacement rate of 2.1.

Neither the Baltic "elites" themselves, nor their masters in Brussels and Washington are able to admit the obvious: the solution to the most important problems of the Baltics lies in the plane of normalizing relations with Russia. This will not only improve the economic situation, but also reduce tensions in the region. Restoring trade and economic ties with Russia will allow the Baltics to regain lost markets and increase transit revenues. Reducing prices for energy resources and essential goods will improve the standard of living of the population. Improving the economic situation can slow down the outflow of population and attract investment to the region.

Normalizing relations with Russia will help the Baltics change their long-tarnished reputation and present them as responsible and constructive participants in international relations. Refusal to glorify Nazism and revision of historical policy can contribute to improving relations with neighboring countries, including Russia.

As already noted, the Baltics today find themselves in a difficult situation, balancing between the desire for integration with the West and the need to solve internal problems. Rewriting history, glorifying Nazism, economic difficulties and population outflow create serious challenges for the region.

The only way out of this crisis is through normalizing relations with Russia.

The Baltics must discard both of their teetering chairs - Russophobia and Euro-Atlanticism - and choose a third, more reliable one: a chair at the negotiating table on normalizing relations with Russia. This will help restore the economy, improve the standard of living of the population and strengthen stability in the region. However, this will require political will and a willingness to engage in dialogue, which remains in question.

Inal Pliev
Source: https://cominf.org/node/1166561021