EU Looks To Break Baltic Dependence on Russian Energy

After EU-member states agreed on a Commission proposal, the EU will invest €263 million in key gas and electricity projects across the Union with primary focus on the Baltic Sea region.

The European Commission announced on Friday (15 July) in a press release that the 28 member states agreed to invest €263 million in trans-European energy infrastructure projects. The biggest share of the support will be destined to the Baltic Sea region to help the expansion of the gas infrastructure, meanwhile the other part of the investment will support the electricity sector across the European Union.

If Russia Started a War in the Baltics, NATO Would Lose — Quickly

If  Russian tanks and troops rolled into the Baltics tomorrow, outgunned and outnumbered NATO forces would be overrun in under three days. That’s the sobering conclusion of war games carried out by a think tank with American military officers and civilian officials.

“The games’ findings are unambiguous: As currently postured, NATO cannot successfully defend the territory of its most exposed members,” said a report by the Rand Corp., which led the war gaming research.

Russia reviews Baltic states’ independence, risks further backlash

In a fresh instance of saber rattling against the EU, Russia’s prosecutor-general has decided to review the legality of recognizing the Baltic States’ independence in 1991. While legal implications of the investigation will be minimal, the move will further increase tensions with the EU.

The Baltic States declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1990-91 and, after attempts to quell their ‘rebellion’ failed, were recognized by the Soviet Union’s newly created State Council in the last months of the Soviet empire.