Baltic states are concerned that the cessation of hostilities in Ukraine is a chance for Russia to strengthen its forces
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- Alona Kokhanchuk
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14:21, 30 March, 2025
The Baltic defence ministers warned that a ceasefire in Ukraine could significantly increase the security threat in the region. Photo: entergauja.comThe Baltic defence ministers have warned that the ceasefire in Ukraine could significantly increase the security threat in the region. They believe that Russia will use this time to rearm and deploy its troops to NATO's north-eastern flank.
This was reported by the Financial Times.
In particular, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are concerned about the Kremlin's further actions, fearing that Russia will not limit its aggression to Ukraine. They also suggest that Moscow is already preparing to increase arms production and deploy additional troops near their borders.
«It is obvious that after the war in Ukraine is over, Russia will quickly redeploy its forces, and the threat level in the region will increase significantly», said Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur.
During her recent visit to the UK, Lithuanian Defence Minister Dovile Šakalena expressed a similar view. She called for no illusions about the end of the Russian threat after the war in Ukraine. Shakalene stressed that Russia will use the time after the cessation of hostilities to increase its military capabilities. According to her, the army, which is already large and well-trained, will become even more powerful.
The Estonian Defence Minister estimates that about 300,000 of the 600,000 Russian troops currently stationed in Ukraine could be redeployed to other areas. He noted that these soldiers would probably not return to normal life because of the high salaries in the army, which are several times higher than the average income in their home regions.
The Baltic states are also concerned about the large-scale military exercises «West», which are due to take place this autumn in Russia and Belarus.
As a reminder, Vadym Skibitskyi, a representative of Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate, believes that Russia plans to resolve the«Ukrainian issue» by 2026, otherwise it will never be able to catch up with the United States and China.