Russian State TV Discusses How Putin Could Invade NATO Baltic States And The Swedish Island Of Gotland

Colonel Igor Korotchenko, formerly of the Russian General Staff and air force and currently a reserve officer, outlined on TV channel Rossiya 1 how a Russain invasion of the Baltic states might look

The map shows a plan where Russian forces would push up from Kaliningrad and close the Suwalki corridor separating Poland and Lithuania, blocking NATO reinforcements  

Daily Mail: Russian state TV discusses how Putin could invade NATO Baltic states and force Sweden to declare neutrality 

* Russian state TV discussed how an invasion of the Baltic states might look, with a retired army colonel outlining the plan on TV channel Rossiya 1 

* It showed Russian forces pushing up from Kaliningrad and closing the Suwalki corridor separating Poland and Lithuania, blocking NATO reinforcements 

* The Swedish island of Gotland was also circled in red, vide footage shows 

* The Nordic island, part of Sweden, has a population of around 58,595 

* Nato countries Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia appeared in the invasion plans 

* Sweden is politically neutral but has been threatened by Russia against NATO membership following Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine on February 24 

A former senior officer in the Russian army laid out a battle plan on state TV which includes the Russian army invading the NATO Baltic states and parts of Sweden, a politically neutral country. 

Speaking live on TV channel Rossiya 1, retired Russian military Colonel gestured to the map showing Gotland, Sweden's largest island with a population of around 58,595, circled in red. 

Pointing a the map, Colonel Igor Korotchenko, formerly of the Russian General Staff and air force and currently a reserve officer, said at the start of the invasion 'a massive Russian radio-electronic strike is inflicted' as 'all Nato radars go blind and see nothing', according to the Sun. 

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Update: Russian state TV discusses invasion plan for seizing Baltic states as Nato sends thousands of troops to eastern Europe (The SUN)  

WNU Editor: Talk about invading NATO countries is an invitation to nuclear war. Not surprising. The Baltics are very nervous .... President of Lithuania wants more Russian sanctions amid fears Baltics could be Putin’s next target (Market Place)

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania Expel Russian Diplomats In Support Of The Czech Republic

Raigo Pajula / AFP  

Euronews: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania expel Russian diplomats in support of Czech Republic 

Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have all expelled Russian diplomats in a show of solidarity with the Czech Republic against Moscow. 

Prague has accused Russian secret agents of involvement in a deadly explosion in the country in 2014. Czech foreign and interior minister Jan Hamacek had called on European Union and NATO member states to also kick out Russian diplomats.  

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WNU Editor: Russia has promised to respond .... Moscow Pledges Response After Baltic States Expel Russian Diplomats in Solidarity With Prague (Sputnik). In the meantime the diplomatic war between Russia and Poland is heating up .... Moscow Expels Five Polish Diplomats After Russians Expelled By Warsaw (RFE). 

More News On Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania Expeling Russian diplomats In Support Of The Czech Republic  

EU’s Baltic states expel four Russian diplomats in solidarity with Prague -- France 24  

Baltic states join NATO allies in kicking out Russians for spying -- Reuters  

Lithuania expels two Russian diplomats in move of solidarity with Czech Republic -- TASS 

Russia, Czech Republic to reduce embassy staff to 7 diplomats each -- TASS

Russian Missile Tests Force A Partial Closing Pf The Baltic Sea And Airspace

Reuters: Russian rocket tests force partial closing of Baltic Sea, airspace

RIGA (Reuters) - Russia began testing missiles with live munitions in the Baltic Sea on Wednesday, alarming Latvia, a member of NATO, which says the drills have forced it partly to shut down Baltic commercial airspace.

The Russian defense ministry said on Monday that its Baltic Fleet, based in its European exclave of Kaliningrad, was preparing for routine training in the Baltic Sea, including live fire drills to practice hitting air and sea targets.

“It is a demonstration of force,” Latvia’s Prime Minister Maris Kucinskis told Reuters. “It is hard to comprehend that it can happen so close to (our) country,” he said.

The tests are being carried out in Latvia’s exclusive economic zone, officials said, an area of the sea just beyond Latvia’s territorial waters where Latvia has special economic rights, as well as further west in the Baltic Sea.

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More News On Russian Missile Tests In The Baltics

Russia Launches Missile Tests in Baltic Sea, Forcing Partial Closure of Airspace -- Moscow Times
Russia tests missiles in the Baltic Sea, a day after Baltic leaders met with Trump -- SCMP/Washington Post
Russia tests missiles in Baltic Sea, forcing partial closing of sea and airspace -- Defense News

President Trump Meets The Leaders Of Estonia, Latvia And Lithuania At The White House

CNN: Trump declares 'nobody has been tougher on Russia' in meeting with Baltic leaders

Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump declared "nobody has been tougher on Russia" during a meeting with the heads of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to the White House on Tuesday.

The declaration comes as tension between Russia and the United States has ratcheted up in recent weeks.

"Getting along with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing," Trump said. "Now maybe we will and maybe we won't. Probably nobody's been tougher on Russia than Donald Trump. If you take a look at our military strength now, which probably wouldn't have happened if the opponent had won ... We're now exporting oil and gas. This is not something that Russia wanted."

Trump added that "just about everyone agrees" getting along with Russia is a good thing "except very stupid people."

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WNU Editor: The Baltic states have large Russian minorities within their territory .... especially on the Russian border. Aside from the widespread discrimination that targets this Russian minority, we now have this in the news .... Russia threatens sanctions over Latvian language in schools (BBC). Here is an easy observation .... no one is going to bring this up in today's White House meeting.

More News On President Trump Meeting The Leaders Of Estonia, Latvia And Lithuania At The White House

Trump holds press conference with Baltic States' leaders — live updates -- CBS News
Trump Hosts News Conference During Baltic Summit At White House -- NPR
Trump Hosts Baltic Leaders As Tensions Rise Between Washington & Moscow -- Voice of America
Donald Trump to Baltics: I've been tough on Russia, but want better relations -- USA Today
Balts Reportedly Asking US for More Troops and Arms to 'Deter Russia' -- Sputnik International

U.S. Special Forces Practice Guerillar War Against Russia In The Baltics

A member Lithuania's KASP carrying an AT4 anti-tank weapon among other equipment at the JMRC in Germany. US Army

The Warzone/The Drive: U.S. Special Ops and Lithuanian Reservists Practiced Waging Guerrilla War Against Russia

During a routine NATO exercise, but amid Russian threats, the two groups trained to harass enemy troops and shoot down low-flying aircraft.

After years of fighting limited conflicts, the U.S. military is reorienting itself to be better prepared for a potential traditional high-end conflict against a nation state adversary with renewed investments in heavy equipment, including armored vehicles and artillery. At the same time, a recent training exercise highlights the fact that any such future fight in Europe, where the most likely opponent would be an increasingly aggressive Russia, will still require a broad mix of capabilities, including special operations forces working together with local forces to harass enemy troops and prevent hostile commandos from infiltrating into friendly areas.

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WNU Editor: I do not know if this type of warfare will be effective. The Baltics have large Russian populations and they live mostly in the countryside. These U.S. forcs will be quickly spotted and targetted.

The RAND Corporation War-games The Defense Of The Baltics And War With Russia

© RIA Novosti. Ilia Pytalev

Sputnik: Just Try It: Influential US Think Tank Recommends Attack on Russia's Kaliningrad

Against the background of a beefed up NATO presence in Eastern Europe, and preparations for new drills on Russian borders, analysts at the RAND Corporation, an influential US think tank, have urged the Pentagon to consider options for the 'neutralization' of Russian military systems in Kaliningrad. Russian experts offer their take on such 'advice.'

Complaining about what it estimates to be impressive Russian air defenses capabilities in its Baltic exclave, the think tank's report says that the Department of Defense needs to develop "a clear view of the role that Kaliningrad…with its strong anti-air defenses," might play in case of war in the Baltic region, and the steps NATO might take to "neutralize" it.

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WNU Editor: Not surprising .... Russian experts and the Kremlin are not amused. The Rand report is here .... European Relations with Russia: Threat Perceptions, Responses, and Strategies in the Wake of the Ukrainian Crisis (RAND). This is a follow-up on a report from last year .... Reinforcing Deterrence on NATO's Eastern Flank (RAND).

Could The U.S. Military Stop A Russian invasion Of The Baltics

This is a map of how a US military think tank believes Russia could overrun NATO to take the Baltic States in just 36-60 hours. Even with a week's notice, NATO's 12-strong fleet would be no match against Putin's 27. Daily Mail

Kris Osborn, National Interest: Would Russia Attack & Invade the Baltics? (And Could America's Military Stop Them?)

The current NATO force structure in Eastern Europe would be unable to withstand a Russian invasion into neighboring Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, a new think tank study has concluded.

After conducting an exhaustive series of wargames wherein “red” (Russian) and “blue” (NATO) forces engaged in a wide range of war scenarios over the Baltic states, a Rand Corporation study called “Reinforcing Deterrence on NATO’s Eastern Flank” determined that a successful NATO defense of the region would require a much larger air-ground force than what is currently deployed.

In particular, the study calls for a NATO strategy similar to the Cold War era’s “AirLand Battle” doctrine from the 1980s. During this time, the U.S. Army stationed at least several hundred thousand troops in Europe as a strategy to deter a potential Russian invasion. Officials with U.S. Army Europe tell Scout Warrior that there are currenty 30,000 U.S. Army soldiers in Europe.

The Rand study maintains that, without a deterrent the size of at least seven brigades, fires and air support protecting Eastern Europe, that Russia cold overrun the Baltic states as quickly as in 60 hours.

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WNU Editor: There is no appetite in the U.S. to deploy tens of thousands of troops to Europe .... and there is definitely no money for it. Fortunately .... there is no appetite in Russia to invade and occupy the Baltics. Also .... most Russians know that the blow-back will not be via through NATO and the U.S. military .... it will be the imposition massive sanctions (that will probably last for years), and political isolation .... something that a massive majority of Russians do not want.

Rising East - West Tensions In The Baltics

RT: NATO to send 4,000 troops to border with Russia - report

NATO is deploying an additional four battalions of 4,000 troops in Poland and the three Baltic States, according to a report citing US Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work.

Work confirmed the number of troops to be sent to the border with Russia, The Wall Street Journal reports. He said the reason for the deployment is Russia’s multiple snap military exercises near the Baltics States.

“The Russians have been doing a lot of snap exercises right up against the borders, with a lot of troops,” Work said as cited by the Wall Street Journal. “From our perspective, we could argue this is extraordinarily provocative behavior.”

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More News On Growing Tensions In The Baltics

Estonia expects 1,500 NATO troops for major Spring Storm drills -- RT
Finland Flexes Military Muscles Alongside US Troops, Armored Vehicles -- Sputnik
200 US Soldiers Due in Moldova for Military Exercises -- ABC News
NATO to place 4,000 troops in Poland and the region: report -- Radio Poland
NATO to deploy 4,000 troops to the Baltics and Poland -- Estonian World
NATO to deploy 4,000 troops on Russia's borders in Baltic region -- Baltic Times
NATO Allies Preparing to Put Four Battalions at Eastern Border With Russia -- WSJ
Russia challenges US after Baltic jet face-off -- BBC
Russia claims it sent fighter plane to intercept US aircraft approaching its border because it had turned off the transponder -- Daily Mail
‘Stay away from Russian borders or keep transponders on’: Russian MoD on US spy planes in Baltics -- RT
Navy boss: Russian jets should stop buzzing US planes, ship -- AP
US Navy chief hopes for 'normalization' with Russia in Baltic -- AFP
US Navy Chief Calls for Normalized Relations with Russia in Baltics -- VOA
US defense chief: NATO ponders ground force in Baltics -- AP

East - West Tensions Grow Over The Baltics

WSJ: NATO Allies Preparing to Put Four Battalions at Eastern Border With Russia

U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense says buildup is response to Moscow’s military activity near the Baltics

Western allies are preparing to put four battalions—a force of about 4,000 troops—in Poland and the Baltic countries as part of an effort by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to reinforce its border with Russia as Moscow steps up military activity, officials said Friday.

The U.S. is likely to provide two battalions, while Germany and Britain would likely provide a battalion each, according to Western officials.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work, visiting Brussels, confirmed the overall size of the force and said the buildup was a response to more Russian activity around the Baltics—Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia—where tensions have been rising.

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WNU Editor: Russia's response to NATO's build-up in the Baltics .... Russia says Baltics should be more grateful (US News and World Report). What irks Russia even more is the German deployment .... Germany Will Deploy Troops in Lithuania to 'Contain' Russia (Sputnik).

Update: So true .... Forward Basing NATO Airpower in the Baltics Is A Bad Idea (Maj. Gen. Ralph S. Clemapril, War On The Rocks).

More News On Growing Tensions In the Baltics

NATO reportedly plans to send 4 battalions to eastern border with Russia -- FOX News
Spooked by Russia, Lithuania spares no money for defense -- Reuters
Germany mulls sending NATO troops to Lithuania – defense official -- RT
U.S. F-22 Jets Land In Lithuania In Show Of Regional Support -- RFE
Analysis: Baltic Sea Heating Up as Friction Point Between U.S., NATO and Russia -- USNI

Why Would Russia Invade The Baltics?

Image from The Economist

Doug Bandow, National Interest: Why on Earth Would Russia Attack the Baltics?

When the Cold War closed many people believed that history had ended. Peace had descended upon the earth. The lion was about to lie down with the lamb. The Second Coming seemed on its way. Europe was certain to be free and undivided.

Alas, it hasn’t worked out that way. But no worries. At least NATO officials are happy. Following Russian intervention in Georgia and Ukraine the alliance rediscovered a sense of purpose through its old enemy, Moscow. The Obama administration just announced a multi-billion dollar program to bolster U.S. forces in Eastern Europe. Now a Rand Corporation report warning that Russia could easily overrun the three Baltic members of NATO is raising additional alarm.

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Previous Post: If Russia Invaded The Baltics, NATO Forces Would be Overrun In 3 Days

WNU Editor: Doug Bandow's analysis is on the money. There is no need for Russia to invade the Baltics .... the costs would be too high. But I would add a caveat .... Russia would invade the Baltics if it felt that the Russian minority in these countries were facing danger. Russians make up a significant portion of Estonia and Latvia .... and they are faced with language and cultural laws that any other society would call bigoted and racist. But having said that .... it will still not be enough for Moscow to order an invasion.

Russia's Deployment Of S-400 Missile Batteries In Kaliningrad Will Make The Baltics A No-Go Zone In The Event Of War

Foxtrot-Alpha: Russia's Buildup Of S-400 Missile Batteries In Kaliningrad Is Freaking Out NATO

The same air defense system that has seemingly kept coalition fighters out of western Syria is now being installed in the heart of Europe, at Russia’s Baltic Sea enclave of Kaliningrad. Russia’s setting up surface-to-air missile systems in their territory is nothing new, but the S-400's long-range and effectiveness is.

The S-400 (NATO code name SA-21 Growler) is very much a wide-area, anti-access, area-denial (A2/AD) system. It has the ability threaten enemy aircraft within a 250 mile radius of its location. Because of the small territorial size of Kaliningrad, this means the S-400's engagement envelope expands well into surrounding NATO countries, such a Lithuania, Latvia and Poland, as well as far over the Baltic Sea.

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WNU Editor: NATO commanders are using this Russian deployment as tehir reason on why they should have more resources .... Putin's Next Potential Target: The Baltic States (Atlantic Council).

Baltic States Strive To Be Energy Indepedent From Russia

World Atlas

AFP: Sparking tension: Baltic electricity plan turns tables on Russia

Vilnius (AFP) - When Lithuania inaugurates two electrical links to the West on Monday, it will launch a process that will reduce its reliance on Russian electricity, and one day could make Russia dependent on the Baltic grids.

With Russia accustomed to wielding energy supplies as a political weapon, the possibility that its westernmost outpost of Kaliningrad could become reliant on the West to keep the lights on has Moscow seething, straining already tense ties over Ukraine.

"The first electrons have already passed" through the EU-backed power cables from Sweden and Poland, said Energy Minister Rokas Masiulis after the links were tested.

WNU Editor: Laying a few electrical cables from Sweden and Poland to the Baltics is not enough to make them energy independent. But diversifying their energy supplies is not a bad idea .... and one that they have decided is in their interests to do so.

U.S. War Scenarios In The Baltics Show Them Losing To Russia All The Time

Image from The Economist

Julia Ioffe, Foreign Policy: Exclusive: The Pentagon Is Preparing New War Plans for a Baltic Battle Against Russia

But the really troubling thing is that in the war games being played, the United States keeps losing.

For the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the U.S. Department of Defense is reviewing and updating its contingency plans for armed conflict with Russia.

The Pentagon generates contingency plans continuously, planning for every possible scenario — anything from armed confrontation with North Korea to zombie attacks. But those plans are also ranked and worked on according to priority and probability. After 1991, military plans to deal with Russian aggression fell off the Pentagon’s radar. They sat on the shelf, gathering dust as Russia became increasingly integrated into the West and came to be seen as a potential partner on a range of issues. Now, according to several current and former officials in the State and Defense departments, the Pentagon is dusting off those plans and re-evaluating them, updating them to reflect a new, post-Crimea-annexation geopolitical reality in which Russia is no longer a potential partner, but a potential threat.

WNU Editor: The problem with all of these plans and scenarios is that in the end .... nuclear weapons will be used. And as much as the Pentagon likes to think that such a hypothetical conflict will be limited to conventional forces ..... this is definitely one conflict where such a military plan will probably be obsolete within a few hours .... if not sooner.

With An Eye On Russia The Baltic States Are Stepping Up Their Military Exercises

Washington Post: Fearing Russian expansion, Baltic nations step up military exercises

TAPA, Estonia — A year ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin seized Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula because he said he feared NATO’s expansion. This week, U.S. tanks were cutting up the Estonian countryside just 65 miles from the Russian border in response to local fears about Russia’s expansionism.

From destroyers in the Baltic Sea to paratroopers over Georgia’s skies to camouflaged reservists in Estonia’s birch forests, drills across the former Eastern Bloc this past week were a stark new sign of worries about Kremlin aggression. Estonia in recent days held its biggest military exercises since the end of the Cold War, and other nations adjoining Russia have taken forceful steps to avoid Ukraine’s fate.

Training efforts have swept the region, and in the past week alone separate exercises took place in Poland, Lithuania, Georgia, Estonia and the Baltic Sea. Military planners said they were a practical attempt to drill new lessons about how Russia wages war. But they were also intended as a warning that unlike in Crimea, where Ukrainian forces surrendered without firing a shot, the Kremlin would face stiff resistance if it tried its tactics anywhere in NATO territory. U.S. military trainers are also in Ukraine trying to strengthen that nation’s fighting forces even as a war burns in the eastern part of the country.

More News On The Growing Military Presence In The Baltic States

Russian aggression prompts Baltic nations to seek NATO force -- Washington Times
Baltics To Ask NATO For Thousands Of Troops -- AFP
3 Baltic Nations Request Permanent NATO Troop Presence -- AP
Baltic countries to ask NATO for thousands of permanent troops -- Deutsche Welle
NATO to consider permanent brigade in Baltics -- Stars and Stripes
Baltic States Boost Intelligence Cooperation Over 'Submarine Threat' -- Sputnik
Russian Spy Plane Intercepted By British Jets Over Baltic — Moscow Vs. NATO Tensions Ratchet Up -- Inquisitr
Russia decries Baltic states’ plea for Nato brigade -- Irish Times

Military Activity In The Baltics Is Approaching Cold War Levels

Anti-submarine depth charges are seen on the deck of Swedish Koster-class naval mine-hunter HMS Ulvon at Karlskrona naval base, Sweden, on April 29, 2015. Reuters/Tim Hepher

Tim Hepher, Reuters: Baltic military shadow-boxing said to reach Cold War levels

A daily game of Cold War cat-and-mouse is ratcheting up tensions in the Baltic and drawing the biggest military presence into the region for over 20 years, Swedish military officials say.

Eye-to-eye encounters with Russian combat jets and reports of suspected submarines in Swedish and Finnish waters are fuelling regional concerns about Russian assertiveness in the wake of the Ukraine crisis and reversing years of defence cuts.

Western officials say Russia has stepped up probing flights and mock bomb runs near Europe's borders since 2013, forcing jets from NATO nations and non-NATO allies like Sweden to scramble repeatedly. For its part, Moscow says NATO has dramatically increased reconnaissance flights near its borders.

Update: Latvia Claims Russian Military Aircraft and Vessels At Its Borders -- Moscow Times

WNU Editor: A few years ago the military presence was zero .... today .... it is still far from Cold War levels but the trend is definitely going in that direction.