Kremlin Disinformation: Baltic States Targeted

The Kremlin, just like before the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, is currently conducting several information operations against the Baltic states, the US Institute for the Study of War (ISW) states in its assessment, writes “lrt.lt”.

According to ISW, this is likely part of the so-called zero phase, when the conditions are created for a possible attack on the Baltic states in the future, however, analysts stress that they do not currently foresee an imminent Russian attack on the Baltic states.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov gave an interview to the Russian media on November 11, in which he implemented several Kremlin information campaigns against the Baltic states – Lavrov accused the Baltic states of “Russophobia“, “anti-Russian sentiment”, discrimination against the Russian-speaking population and allegedly unfulfilled agreements with Russia.

He also portrayed the Baltic states as puppets of the United Kingdom, implying that they had lost their sovereignty. Lavrov also implied that these countries are not “real European countries”, implying that they naturally belong to Russia, not Europe.

Analysts say the Kremlin has used similar messages against the Baltic states before, but the fact that Lavrov has now laid them all out in one statement is particularly significant.

Lavrov’s accusations – both direct and hidden – are very reminiscent of the Kremlin’s arguments, with which it justified the illegal occupation of Crimea and parts of Luhansk and Donetsk regions in 2014 and the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began in 2022, writes ISW.

These statements by Lavrov are a consistent part of the Kremlin’s efforts to create conditions for a possible attack on one or more Baltic states in the future. Analysts see it as part of Russia’s phase zero operations in preparation for a possible war with NATO in the future.

Analysts say that they do not yet see direct signs that Russia is preparing for an imminent attack on NATO countries, moreover, the creation of zero-phase conditions could take years and is not currently a warning of an impending attack.