The Dispatch

Latvian PM’s New Unity party ahead in vote, exit poll shows

RIGA (Reuters) - The centre-right New Unity party of Latvian prime minister Krisjanis Karins appeared set to win Saturday's national election, a LETA/LSM exit poll showed, with security concerns dominating…

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As Latvia goes to polls, ethnic Russian population fears losing identity

RIGA (Reuters) - Latvia's parliamentary election on Saturday could widen a growing rift between the country's Latvian majority and its Russian-speaking minority over their place in society, amid widespread national…

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Some Russian citizens in Estonia voluntarily turning in firearms

Police officials in Estonia said that some Russian citizens living in Estonia have begun voluntarily relinquishing their firearms as the country prepares for the implementation of planned changes to weapons…

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Estonian PM tells nation to prepare for blackouts if Russia switches off power grid

By Andrius Sytas VILNIUS, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas told her nation that power blackouts are possible if Russia kicks the Baltic states from the joint…

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Lithuania raises army’s readiness level amid Russia’s military mobilisation

VILNIUS (Reuters) - Lithuania raised the readiness level of its army's rapid response force "to prevent any provocations from the Russian side", defence minister Arvydas Anusauskas said after Moscow announced…

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Latvia says it won’t offer refuge to Russians fleeing mobilisation; Flights out of Russia sell out

European Union member Latvia, which borders Russia, will not offer refuge to any Russians fleeing Moscow's mobilisation of troops, Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics said in a tweet on Wednesday,…

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Estonia purchases Piorun anti-aircraft missile systems from Poland

WARSAW, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Estonia on Wednesday signed a deal with Poland to purchase Piorun anti-aircraft missile systems, designed to target low-flying aircraft such as helicopters and drones. "This…

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UPDATED: German businessman named as owner of jet that crashed in Baltic

BERLIN, Sept 5 (Reuters) - A private jet that crashed into the Baltic Sea off Latvia after flying half way across Europe from Spain without responding to controllers' calls belonged…

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EU states bordering Russia searching for ways to halt tourist entry

European Union member States bordering with the Russian Federation, including Estonia, are actively holding talks to find jointly ways to limit scope for Russian citizens entering the European Union through…

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While rest of EU mourns, Baltics recall Gorbachev as agent of repression

VILNIUS (Reuters) - Widely praised in the West as a towering statesman who helped end the Cold War, Mikhail Gorbachev was remembered in the Baltic states as a repressive autocrat…

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Estonia aims to stop most Russians from entering country within weeks

(Reuters) - Estonia aims to stop most Russians from entering the country within weeks, if possible acting in concert with its regional partners, Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu said. "It takes…

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Lithuania warns Baltic states, Poland and Finland could ban Russian tourists

European Union members Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Finland, which all share a border with Russia, may stop Russian tourists from entering their countries if the EU does not enact…

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Estonian PM Kallas speaks up in support of Finnish colleague Marin after dancing video leak

Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has spoken up in support of her Finnish counterpart, Sanna Marin, as the latter faces a backlash over a leaked video in which she was dancing…

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‘Those who think Russia is exhausted are too optimistic’: Lithuania’s former chief of defence

The Russian military in Ukraine suffered a severe blow last week in Crimea, sparking enthusiasm that the tide in the war might be turning. Lithuania’s former chief of defence, Lieutenant…

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SUVs to be requisitioned if Estonia declares defense emergency

SUVs will be requisitioned by the state should Estonia declare martial law or if there is an emergency related to defense, Eesti Ekspress reported. The Defense Resources Agency (Kaitseressursside Amet)…

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Estonia says it repelled major cyber attack

Estonia has repelled "the most extensive cyber attacks since 2007", shortly after removing Soviet monuments in a region with an ethnic Russian majority. Russian hacker group Killnet claimed responsibility for…

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Estonian visa cancellation has ordinary Russians worried

Estonia this week will close its border to more than 50,000 Russians with previously issued visas, the first country in the European Union to do so, making it harder for…

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Latvia, Estonia withdraw from China cooperation group

VILNIUS (Reuters) - Latvia and Estonia withdrew from a cooperation group between China and over a dozen Central and Eastern European countries on Thursday, following in the footsteps of Baltic…

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Estonia to stop Russians from entering with Estonian-issued visas

Estonia said it will from next week prevent most Russians from entering the country with visas issued by Estonian authorities, cutting off a popular route into Europe's passport-free Schengen zone.…

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Latvia declares Russia a ‘state sponsor of terrorism’

Latvian MPs on Thursday adopted a statement declaring Russia a "state sponsor of terrorism" and said its actions in Ukraine constituted "targeted genocide against the Ukrainian people". The statement said…

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Estonia protests to Russia about ‘unacceptable’ violation of its airspace

Estonia summoned the Russian ambassador and formally protested about the violation of its airspace by a Russian helicopter on Tuesday, the foreign ministry said. "Estonia considers this an extremely serious…

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UPDATED: Russia’s Gazprom halts gas supplies to Latvia

July 30 (Reuters) - Russian gas producer Gazprom GAZP.MM said on Saturday it had stopped sending gas to Latvia after accusing it of violating supply conditions, a move the Baltic country said would have…

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Estonia stops issuing visas, residence permits for Russian students

(Reuters) - Estonia announced it would no longer issue visas or residence permits for Russian citizens wanting to study in the small Baltic country, saying the invasion of Ukraine threatened…

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Photo story: The International Sand Sculpture Park in Jelgava, Latvia

Visitors look at the demo sculpture, a sand replica of Michelangelo's sculpture 'Pieta (The Pity)', made by Latvian sculptors Karlis Ile and Maija Ile at the International Sand Sculpture Park…

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Photo Story: City Festival in Kuldiga, Latvia

Members of Dutch Bicycle Orchestra perform during city festival in Kuldiga, Latvia. It had already become a tradition that on the third weekend of July, thousands of people go to…

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Estonian PM regains ruling majority, warns of tough times ahead

TALLINN (Reuters) - The new cabinet of Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas was sworn in on Monday, re-establishing political stability, but she warned of tough times ahead for the economy…

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Estonian parliament confirms PM Kallas to lead new government

The new Estonian coalition has voted to reappoint Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, in a move likely to ensure stability in the European Union state until a March 2023 election. The…

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UPDATED: Kremlin says work still to be done on EU Kaliningrad transit deal

MOSCOW, July 14 (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Thursday there was still work to be done over a European Union ban on the transit of sanctioned goods to the Russian territory…

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Latvia president calls for compulsory military service for all

Latvia may have to increase it defence spending and introduce compulsory military service for its citizens regardless of their gender to contain any possible security risks arising from Russia, President…

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UPDATED: Lithuania widens curbs on Kaliningrad trade despite Russian warning

VILNIUS, July 11 (Reuters) - Lithuania on Monday expanded restrictions on trade through its territory to Russia's Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad, as phase-ins on European Union sanctions against Moscow over its invasion…

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Lithuania bans flavoured e-cigarettes

A new law has just come into force in Lithuania where flavoured electronic cigarettes will no longer be available in the country The new ban aims to tackle the rise…

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UPDATED: Lithuania: We’re ready if Russia cuts us out of common power grid over Kaliningrad disruptions

VILNIUS, June 22 (Reuters) - Lithuania will be prepared if Russia disconnects it from the regional power grid in retaliation for blocking rail shipments of some Russian goods to Moscow's Kaliningrad exclave,…

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Baltic tensions rise as Estonia protests to Russia over airspace violation

(Reuters) - Estonia summoned the Russian ambassador on Tuesday to protest an "extremely serious" violation of its airspace by a Russian helicopter, the second time in less than two weeks…

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Moscow fumes over EU blockade of Baltic outpost

Russia summoned the European Union's ambassador in Moscow on Tuesday, fuming over a rail blockade that has halted shipments of many basic goods to a Russian outpost on the Baltic Sea,…

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Kaliningrad residents regret Lithuania’s ban on transit to Russian enclave

Kaliningrad region Residents sandwiched between EU and NATO members Poland and Lithuania, expressed fear and regret over Lithuania's transit ban announced on Monday. "Construction works will stop. Development of roads. It's all…

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UPDATED: Russia warns NATO-member Lithuania over Kaliningrad transit

LONDON, June 20 (Reuters) - Russia warned NATO member Lithuania on Monday that unless the transit of goods to Russia's Kaliningrad exclave on the Baltic Sea was swiftly restored then Moscow would…

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Latvia wants more NATO troops, fed up of “paying for lunch for the others”

BRUSSELS, June 16 (Reuters) - Latvia on Thursday made a last pitch for the deployment of more NATO troops in the Baltics, two weeks before NATO leaders are set to decide the…

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Lithuania parliament urges criminal prosecution of Russian leadership

VILNIUS, June 16 (Reuters) - The Lithuanian parliament on Thursday called for the criminal prosecution of Russia's leadership for its invasion of Ukraine and what it said is the wide-scale…

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Estonia PM set to regain majority in parliament

VILNIUS, June 11 (Reuters) - Estonian conservative opposition party Isamaa said on Saturday it would seek to join the Baltic country's government, putting Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and her liberal Reform Party…

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Sweden, Finland NATO membership would increase Baltic security – Estonia

BERLIN, May 16 (Reuters) - Sweden and Finland joining NATO would increase the security of the Baltic region, Estonian Foreign Minister Eva-Maria Liimets said. "When we see that in our neighbourhood also other democratic…

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NATO chief says alliance will increase presence in Baltic sea if Sweden applies

NATO will increase it's presence around Sweden's borders and in the Baltic sea while a potential application to join the alliance is processed, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told Swedish public…

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Lithuania’s president calls for more NATO troops

VILNIUS, April 22 (Reuters) - NATO should increase its deployment of troops in Lithuania and elsewhere on Europe's eastern flank following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Lithuania's president told Germany's foreign…

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Estonia calls for EU sanctions on Russia oil and gas transport

TALLINN, April 21 (Reuters) - The European Union should impose trade sanctions on the transport of Russian oil and gas, Estonia's foreign minister said on Thursday. "The war against Ukraine must become…

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Lithuania bans using letter ‘Z’ in protest over Russia’s war in Ukraine

Lithuania's parliament on Tuesday voted to ban public displays of the letter "Z", the black and orange ribbon of St George, and other symbols seen as expressing support for Russia's…

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Lithuania says Russia already has nuclear weapons in the Baltic region

Russia already has nuclear weapons in the Baltic region, Lithuanian Defence Minister Arvydas Anusauskas said. One of Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest allies warned NATO on Thursday that if Sweden…

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Lithuania wants NATO to expand Baltic battalions into brigades

Lithuania wants the NATO battalions in the Baltic countries to be expanded into brigades, the country's defence ministry said on Monday. A brigade consists of several battalions of troops. Lithuania…

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Photo Story: Snow in Riga, Latvia

People walk at snowy park in Riga, Latvia, on Wednesday 06 April 2022. According to the data of the Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Center, seven centimetres of snow was…

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Lithuanian MPs want to outlaw Russian military Z symbol

Two Lithuanian MPs have called on the country to ban displays of the Russian military 'Z' symbol following its invasion of Ukraine. Lawmakers are debating amendments to outlaw the black…

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Baltic nations expel ten Russian diplomats

VILNIUS, March 18 (Reuters) - Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania have expelled a total of ten Russian diplomats, the foreign ministries of the three Baltic countries said on Friday. Lithuania expelled four diplomats…

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Lithuania’s Prime Minister joins paramilitary volunteer force

VILNIUS (Reuters) - Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte was sworn in on Friday as a member of the Riflemen’s Union, a paramilitary volunteer force that supports the police and the…

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Estonian PM warns hard times lie ahead but ‘freedom is priceless’

European leaders have to be "honest" with their citizens about the negative effects that EU sanctions against Russia might bring upon people's daily life, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said…

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UPDATED: Lithuania tightens state of emergency, limits free speech

VILNIUS, March 10 (Reuters) - Lithuania imposed a stricter state of emergency on Thursday in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, limiting rights to free expression and peaceful assembly, in what critics…

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Moral duty to give Ukraine a membership perspective – Estonian PM

The European Union has a moral duty to give Ukraine a membership perspective, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas told the European Parliament this morning. She said that Ukraine was not…

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Lithuania asks International Criminal Court to investigate war crimes in Ukraine

VILNIUS, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Lithuania's government announced on Monday it will ask prosecutors at the International Criminal Court to investigate "war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine". "There is new…

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Latvia allows its citizens to fight in Ukraine

VILNIUS, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Latvia's parliament voted unanimously on Monday to allow its nationals to fight in Ukraine if willing, the parliament said in a statement. "Our citizens who want to…

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In policy shift, Finland approves field guns export by Estonia to Ukraine

HELSINKI, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Finland is to allow neighbouring Estonia to export to Ukraine Soviet-origin howitzer field guns, which were previously sold to Estonia by Finland but could not legally be…

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U.S. troops in Latvia in warning to Putin

ADAZI MILITARY BASE, Latvia - The presence of U.S. and other NATO troops in Latvia sends a message to Vladimir Putin that Russia should stay away, Latvian Defence Minister Artis…

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