Dorcha Lee: Russia and Belarus pile the pressure on Baltic states
Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko and Russian president Vladimir Putin struggle to contain the eastward spread of Western influence and, in turn, direct their hybrid war against Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia — the front line of the new Cold War. Picture: Mikhail Voskresensky/AP
The spotlight of international attention flickers sporadically along the front line of the new Cold War. From the Baltic to the Black Sea, Russia is struggling to contain the eastward spread of Western dominance, over lands and peoples that once were in its sphere of influence. These same countries are equally trying to consolidate their independence from Russia. For most of these nation states, membership of both the EU and Nato remains the dream ticket to freedom.
Russian president Vladimir Putin is an accomplished judo player who faces his opponents with the patience, concentration, and steely discipline of this martial art. His strategic objective is to reunite ethnic Russian speakers under the banner of Mother Russia, including restoring Russian historical hegemony over those countries of Eastern Europe that were previously under Soviet or Russian influence.
