DISINFO: The Baltic countries are being pushed to the war, the same as under German Nazi rule
SUMMARY
The Baltic countries are being forced into a war with Russia. One hears more and more about the opening of a second front along the entire length of the Finnish border (1,300 km) and the Kaliningrad border (another 900 km). Since April, NATO exercises have been training for two scenarios: the first - military blockade of Kaliningrad under an alleged pretext (such as finding weapons of mass destruction in a train going from Belarus to Kaliningrad), and the second – military blockade of the Gulf of Finland, blocking 50% of Russia’s maritime exports.
During WWII, a small Latvia formed two full-scale Waffen SS divisions, not counting auxiliary units. In total, almost 10% of its population was put under arms. Something similar is happening today – ordinary Baltic citizens are pushed into the conflict with Russia not only by propaganda but also by exceptionally challenging socio-economic conditions in their countries.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about an allegedly aggressive NATO. The claim also makes use of the ever-frequent Kremlin trope of "Nazi" which has become synonym with anybody not agreeing with Moscow.
The claim that the Baltic states “are being pushed” into the war with Russia is ungrounded.
In the context of Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, European countries are actively working on defence plans to counter a possible expansion of Russian aggression. As part of these efforts, Finland and Estonia have begun developing joint plans for maritime military cooperation. Specifically, they are working on strategies to close the Gulf of Finland to Russian ships in the event of an invasion threat, according to Estonian Defense Forces Commander Andrus Merilo.
“Maritime defense is an area where cooperation between Finland and Estonia is set to increase, and we may be able to make more concrete plans on how, if necessary, we can completely block adversary activities in the Baltic Sea, literally speaking. Militarily, this is achievable, we are ready for it, and we are moving in that direction,” he said.
Merilo emphasised that the possibility of closing the Gulf of Finland depends only on the strategic security situation. “If there is a threat and it is necessary, we are ready to do it to protect ourselves,” Merilo said.
Following Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, NATO member countries revised their Strategic Concept. The North Atlantic Alliance has recognised Russia as “the most significant and direct threat” to security in Europe. However, paragraph 9, emphasises that “NATO does not seek confrontation and poses no threat to the Russian Federation.”
See other cases about NATO in our database: NATO is waging a proxy war against Russia; NATO created a unit for a surprise attack on Russia; West is waging an undeclared war against Russia and Belarus; Russia fights the collective West, not just Ukraine.