Estabilished in 2019, The Baltic Security Foundation (BSF) promotes the security and defense of the Baltic Sea region.

The Foundation is a result of the Baltic Security Strategy Project (2017-2019) that gathered experts on defence, societal security and economic security to assess the shared challenges for the Baltic States and recommend solutions.

BSF gathers Baltic experts and security experts from the region and beyond. It provides a platform for discussion and research, expert networking, expert mobility, and promotes finding and advocating for solutions that lead to a stronger regional security in military and other areas.

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Olevs

Olevs Nikers, President

Senior analyst at the Jamestown Foundation. Former chief expert at the Ministry of Defense of Latvia (2001-2019).

Otto

Otto Tabuns, Director

Foreign and security policy expert for 10 years. Co-host of the “Latvia Weekly” political news program.

Meet our team and experts!
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Our Recent Articles

A Piece of Moscow in Latvia: a Deeper Look at the Russian Embassy in Riga

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A Piece of Moscow in Latvia: a Deeper Look at the Russian Embassy in Riga

By Grace Zagoria on August 28, 2025

On the corner of Ukrainian Independence Street in Riga – Ukrainas Neatkarības iela in Latvian – sits a building bathed in fading pastels, adorned with barbed wire and barred windows. This is the Russian Embassy to Latvia, guarded around the clock by the Latvian State Police and cordoned off with black rope that passersby are careful not to cross. Sticking out from seemingly every corner of the building’s edifice are security cameras, trained on anyone who dares to glance in the embassy’s vicinity.

Nuclear Proliferation in Poland and the Baltics: An American IR Student Perspective

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Nuclear Proliferation in Poland and the Baltics: An American IR Student Perspective

By Todd Meltzer on August 28, 2025

Introduction Since 1945, the topic of nuclear armaments has been on every country’s radar, shaping global geopolitics, defense strategies, and nuclear deterrence. In 2025, post-Soviet countries in Eastern Europe and the Baltics, still face tension with Russia’s imperialism, making the role of nuclear deterrence critical for European regional security and international security. In this context, I, as an American International Affairs student studying security policy, can offer a unique perspective into this critical topic.

Baltic Defense Line: Review on Enhanced Latvian Fortifications along the Russian Border

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Baltic Defense Line: Review on Enhanced Latvian Fortifications along the Russian Border

By Vienne Abrahamian on August 27, 2025

Introduction The 21st century has experienced a detrimental shift away from one of the most fundamental regulations of international stability since 1945: territorial borders should not be challenged with force or aggression. Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 defied international norms that aimed to set a precedent for national security and individual statehood. The subsequent invasions of Ukraine proved to the global community that Russia would go to extreme lengths to increase its sphere of influence over post-Soviet republics, causing widespread concern surrounding the idea that other countries could be next.

Memory as a Defense Mechanism: How Historical Sentiments Shape Latvia’s Current Security and Defense Policy

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Memory as a Defense Mechanism: How Historical Sentiments Shape Latvia’s Current Security and Defense Policy

By Vienne Abrahamian on August 27, 2025

Introduction Latvia is a country just short of two million people located in between the two other Baltic states, Estonia and Lithuania. It is a relatively small country with a geographical size of 64,594 square kilometers. From the outside looking in, Latvia may appear as a small, peripheral state on Europe’s northeastern edge; yet beneath its modest size lies a nation shaped by profound historical trauma, cultural resilience, and a deeply layered political identity.