Baltic States in January 2026: the most important developments in security
In the Baltic States in January 2026, the most prominent security story came from Lithuania. On 16 January prosecutors charged six suspects with terrorism for targeting military aid to Ukraine. On the same day Lithuania said Russia was behind an attempted arson attack in 2024.
Estonia reported further cases involving Russia. A security guard working on Estonia's border was found to have passed information to Russia's FSB, and Estonia tightened border crossing rules for Russian diplomats. Russia denied an illegal border crossing into Estonia on 30 January. Estonia's navy agreed to join a Finnish-led maritime surveillance network in the Baltic Sea.
Smuggler balloons disrupted Vilnius Airport again on 28 January, described as the most intense wave this year. Lithuania postponed the purchase of new military transport aircraft. In Vilnius on 26 January, Volodymyr Zelensky said security guarantees for Ukraine were "100% ready". Lithuania's president said a joint security deal could end the Greenland dispute, and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called for stronger defence capabilities. An envoy of Vladimir Putin told Kallas that no defence system can stop the Oreshnik missile, and Russia released video of its air forces flying over the Baltic Sea.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
Click a day in the chart above for that day's brief.