Aggressive rhetoric toward the Baltic states is intensifying in the Russian State Duma, accompanied by the preparation of a legal framework for the use of military force. Konstantin Zatulin, First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on CIS Affairs, claimed that Latvia and Estonia allegedly violated promises made upon leaving the USSR by creating the institution of “non-citizens” and deepening “Russophobia”. According to the deputy’s estimates, at the time of independence, “non-citizens” accounted for 30% of the population in Estonia and 40% in Latvia.
Resilience and Risk Analysis: Such statements by Zatulin are not merely historical grievances but ideological preparation for a possible escalation. The thesis regarding the “deception of the Russian population” and “humiliation” is being used to justify a new bill that expands Vladimir Putin’s powers to use troops abroad in cases of “persecution of Russians”. The document has already passed its first reading. For Europe, this is a signal that the Kremlin is reviving the scenario used for aggression against Ukraine, turning the protection of compatriots into a universal pretext for violating the sovereignty of neighbors. Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin directly confirms this goal, calling to “cool down heads” in the Baltics.
The Bottom Line: Russia is systematically creating legal and propaganda mechanisms for a potential attack on NATO countries, using the status of the Russian-speaking population as a tool for political blackmail and the military destabilization of the EU.