Articles

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

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

By Grace Zagoria in Security

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

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

By Todd Meltzer in Security

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

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

By Vienne Abrahamian in Security

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

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

By Vienne Abrahamian in Security

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.

Report: The EU-Mercosur Agreement and its Implications for the Baltic Region

Report: The EU-Mercosur Agreement and its Implications for the Baltic Region

By Grace Zagoria, Matthew Clauser in Policy

August 27, 2025

Executive summary This report assesses the geopolitical and economic dimensions of the EU-Mercosur trade agreement, with a focus on its implications for EU competitiveness, supply chain security, and global influence. Over the past two decades, the EU has lost trade share in Latin America to China, whose growing presence in the region—particularly in agriculture, infrastructure, and critical minerals—has shifted the balance of power. Simultaneously, the United States has adopted a more protectionist stance, creating gaps in global trade leadership.

Russia’s Rising Threat on Arctic Security

Russia’s Rising Threat on Arctic Security

By Vienne Abrahamian in Security

August 27, 2025

Introduction The Arctic is a region in the Northern Hemisphere surrounding the North Pole, containing eight Arctic States: Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Finland, Sweden, and the United States. Around a decade ago, ice caps and glaciers largely prevented exploration of Arctic territory; however, rising global temperatures that impact the Arctic around three times as much as the rest of the world has caused ice caps to melt, glaciers to dissipate, and permafrost to thaw, profoundly changing the physical landscape of the area while increasing maritime accessibility.

Russia and the Baltics Since the Restoration of Independence

Russia and the Baltics Since the Restoration of Independence

By Lillian Mullins in Security

August 18, 2025

On May 4, 1990, the Republic of Latvia declared its independence from the Soviet Union, ending fifty years of occupation that began in 1940. Similarly, Lithuania and Estonia celebrated the 35th anniversary of their independence restoration in 2025 - Lithuania on March 11 and Estonia on March 30. As the Baltic States mark over three decades of sovereignty following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, it becomes essential to analyze their evolving relationship with the Russian Federation, the Soviet Union’s successor state.

Continued support to Ukrainians

Continued support to Ukrainians

By BSF Team in Activities

March 13, 2023

The Baltic Security Foundation continues to support Ukrainian refugees in Latvia and the civilians in Ukraine. First of all, our team member Andreis Purim has been personally involved to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to Lviv, Ukraine. Furthermore, since summer of 2022, the Baltic Security Foundation has gathered support from the U.S. Embassy in Latvia and many non-governmental organizations and individual supporters to provide free English classes for the Ukrainian refugees who have fled the Russian aggression.

BSF at the U.S. Congress

BSF at the U.S. Congress

By BSF Team in Activities

March 12, 2023

The Baltic Security Foundation co-hosted an event at the Congress of the United States of America on China’s influence in the Baltic Sea region. The event was made possible together with The Jamestown Foundation and JBANC. The event was opened by co-chair of the House Baltic Caucus Representative Don Bacon. In the first part of the event, Glen E. Howard, Roger W. Robinson Jr., Olevs Nikers and Dimon Liu discussed the book “Between Brussels and Beijing: Transatlantic Response to Chinese Presence in the Baltic Sea.

New book published: Between Brussels and Beijing: The Transatlantic Response to the Chinese Presence in the Baltic Sea Region

New book published: Between Brussels and Beijing: The Transatlantic Response to the Chinese Presence in the Baltic Sea Region

By BSF Team in Activities

December 17, 2022

Read online at the Jamestown Foundation Website! Between Brussels and Beijing: The Transatlantic Response to the Chinese Presence in the Baltic Sea Region serves as a comprehensive analysis of China’s presence in the Baltic Sea littoral countries and subsequently related developments in the domains of education, finance and infrastructure. Scholars Olevs Nikers and Otto Tabuns together with their Baltic Security Foundation team and other regional and international experts provide a set of in-depth national case studies.

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