Russian Drones
Test NATO’s Border
(Euromaidan Press)
“Recently, a Russian Shahed-like drone crossed into Lithuanian airspace from Belarus and flew over the outskirts of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, close enough for civilians to see and film the device in flight. … While unarmed, the drone crossed directly over a Nato capital, far from any logical flight path to Ukraine, making it clear that this was no accident.”
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“Russia’s latest airspace violations are increasingly escalating and reshaping Nato’s eastern defenses through repeated, calculated provocations that expose gaps, test thresholds, and force reaction. The incursion over Vilnius is a template for how Moscow may continue to pressure Nato’s eastern flank, trying to provoke member states into triggering an open conflict. As Poland’s nightly alerts become routine and Baltic air defenses are forced to harden, the question is no longer whether Nato will respond, but how far that response will go, and as this pattern deepens, the skies over Eastern Europe are no longer a buffer, they are becoming the front line.”
“Lithuania Is Preparing to Shoot Down the Next Russian Drone Violating Its Airspace.” - The Baltic Sentinel
“Lithuania: two Russian military drones flew into its territory from Belarus last month.” - Euronews
“Lõhkeaine leidmine Leetu eksinud droonilt sunnib otsustavalt tegutsema.” - Postimees
“Drone incursion in Lithuania revives questions about Baltic air defence.” - LSM
“Ukraine bets big on interceptor drones as low-cost air shield.” - Reuters
“Lithuanian startup develops smart munition for drones.” - Defense Blog
Estonia's border guard installed metal gates on Narva bridge
(ERR | TVP | Meduza)
“Metal gates are being installed at the entrance to the bridge on the Estonian side, as well as additional barriers for both pedestrians and vehicles in the middle where the border is located. The PPA first announced the upgrades in July 2024.”
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“The barriers help prevent vehicles from forcefully driving through the border checkpoint. Essentially, they help to prevent evasion of border control.” said Antti Eensalu, head of the Police and Border Guard Board's Narva checkpoint.”
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https://tvpworld.com/88152680/estonia-builds-gate-on-border-with-russia-to-further-boost-security
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“PPA ehitab Narva sillale väravaid ja läbisõidutõkkeid.” - ERR
Pilot project to install floating barriers on Narva River
(ERR)
“… in an effort to curb illegal border crossings. Since the risk of illegal border crossings is highest on the Narva River in the northeast, and Lämmijärv in the southeast, these areas are being focused on. Floating barriers might be a novel solution for the Estonian border guard, but similar barriers are already in use elsewhere in the world. For instance, two years ago, a barrier around 300 meters long was installed on the Rio Grande, which forms much of the US-Mexico border, and is planned for an extension to up to 30 kilometers this year.”
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NATO mulls stationing German-Dutch corps in the coastal city of Parnu
(ERR | United24)
“The German-Netherlands Corps is one of NATO's High Readiness Forces Headquarters. It is capable of directing any mission of up to 60,000 troops at short notice, the alliance's website said. This includes land, sea and air elements ready to move quickly to wherever needed.”
—
“Pärnu is being considered due to its strong logistical advantages—proximity to a port, airfield, railway, and highway, as well as its location near Riga.”
https://news.err.ee/1609761771/nato-mulls-stationing-german-dutch-corps-in-estonia
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“NATO kaalub Saksa-Hollandi korpuse tegemist Eestisse.” ERR
“German-Netherlands Corps Explained.” - NATO
Eesti järvede tervist saab nüüd seirata kosmosest
(Novaator)
“Ajakirjas Applied Sciences avaldatud teadustöö kinnitab, et uue põlvkonna satelliidid suudavad Eesti suurte järvede vee kvaliteeti hinnata varasemast palju täpsemalt. See annab palju paremad võimalused järvede käekäiku jälgida.”
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“Uuringu tegid Tartu Ãœlikooli Tartu observatooriumi teadlased koos Itaalia ja Prantsuse kolleegidega. Nad kasutasid kahe uue Euroopa satelliidi, PRISMA ja EnMAP-i, andmeid. Kokku analüüsisid nad 12 satelliidipilti Peipsist ja Võrtsjärvest. Samuti võrdlesid nad kosmosest saadud tulemusi otse järvel tehtud mõõtmistega, et veenduda nende täpsuses.”
https://novaator.err.ee/1609764021/eesti-jarvede-tervist-saab-nuud-seirata-kosmosest
“It's now possible to monitor health of Estonian lakes from space.” - ERR
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“Interview: General Martin Herem”- Baltic Sentinel
“Ka Eesti IT-firmad koondavad, sest turg jõuab kohale.” - Postimees
“Eesti eksperdid on Trumpi ja Putini tuleva kohtumise suhtes pigem ettevaatlikud.” - ERR
“July was record month for Tallinn's real estate market.” - The Baltic Times
“Transpordiamet hakkas teavitama Koidula piiripunkti jäetud autode omanikke.” - ERR
“Estonia Receives Six French Caesar Self-Propelled Artillery Systems.” Militarnyi
“Hiigelsuur transpordilennuk püüdis Tallinna lennujaamas pilke.” - Postimees
“Estonia emerges as the world’s best retirement destination.” - Estonian World
“Eesti koos partneritega nõuab Venemaale küüditatud Ukraina laste kiiret tagastamist.” - Välisministeerium
“Estonia leads EU crackdown on suspected Russian timber laundered through third countries.” - World-ecr
“Opinion: The Russians’ actions in Karelia should be a wake-up call for Estonians.” - Erkki Bahovski, Postimees
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Around the Baltic Sea
Sensors on the Baltic Frontline
By Maciej Bukowski, CEPA
“Russia is now blending cyber interference, underwater sabotage, and manipulation of maritime law to gain tactical advantage without overt conflict. For years, the Baltic Sea could be treated as geopolitically peripheral. That assumption is now dead. Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine shifted threat perceptions and revealed just how exposed the Baltic region has become: physically, legally, and digitally."
https://cepa.org/article/sensors-on-the-baltic-frontline/
“PM Donald Tusk announces Baltic Sea security summit.” - Radio Poland
NATO’s AWACS mapping Kaliningrad
(Euromaidan Press)
“NATO surveillance flights over Kaliningrad and live-fire drills in Estonia shows that Europe is no longer treating the Russian exclave as a passive threat. Instead, Kaliningrad is being studied and tracked, while its neighbors quietly prepare for a worst-case scenario.”
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“Kaliningrad is a heavily militarized Russian enclave wedged between Poland and Lithuania, and has long served as a launchpad for threats against NATO. Home to Baltic Fleet warships, Iskander missile systems, and advanced air defense, it gives Moscow a constant forward presence inside EU territory. … In short, Kaliningrad is no longer just a base; it is a battlefield node already in use. Now Europe is pushing back.”
https://euromaidanpress.com/2025/08/04/nato-awacs-kaliningrad-radar-mapping/
U.S. has strengthened its military presence in Finland
(Yle)
“You may come across American troops and equipment across Finland. They are welcome. We may not be famous for great small talk skills, but nodding or smiling is good enough, if you see troops in the street.” - Major General Sami Nurmi
“Finland stays out of Nato’s new Ukraine arms scheme.” - Helsinki Times
Bad weather affecting the pace of construction on Latvia's eastern border
(LSM)
“Prolonged and intense rainfall in the Latgale region this summer has taken a heavy toll on agriculture, but its effects don't stop there. The wet weather is also significantly affecting the pace of construction works on Latvia's eastern border, making it difficult to access construction sites on the borders with Russia and Belarus, as well as the delivery of heavy machinery, especially in swampy and remote areas, according to Jelena Gavrilova, a member of the board of state-owned "Valsts nekustamie Ä«paÅ¡umi" ('State real estate’/VNĪ). Despite the difficulties, approximately 250 km of border fence has been built so far on the Latvian-Russian border, and only 19 km remain to be constructed.”
Lapland records longest heatwave in Finland’s history
(France24 | Helsinki Times)
“On Monday, the Finnish Meteorological Institute said in a statement that the country had just emerged from 22 days of temperatures over 30°C [86 F] – the longest such heatwave since records began in 1961.”
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“Wildfires continue to burn across Lapland.” - Yle
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“Vene naftaekspordi piiramine võib vähendada varilaevastiku tegevust Soome lahel.” - ERR
“Swedish parents buy nicotine pouches for their children.” - Radio Sweden
“Study to examine potential economic impact of Latvia's diaspora.” - LSM
“Overboard Passenger Rescued From Cruise Ship in Baltic Sea.” - Cruise Hive
“70 suspected kidnappings have occured in Stockholm since the beginning of the year.” - Radio Sweden
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Russia’s Forever War
Ukrainian drones are increasingly targeting Russia’s rail network
(Meduza)
“A new pattern of Ukrainian drone strikes appears aimed at disrupting Russia’s rail network. In recent weeks, drones have hit stations, power systems, and trains, causing unprecedented delays. Since July 19, at least seven attacks have delayed more than 220 trains and injured railway workers and passengers.”
https://meduza.io/en/feature/2025/08/05/off-the-rails
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‘A justified perception of Russian interests’
(Meduza)
“An unearthed German memo reveals Putin laid claim to parts of Ukraine and Kazakhstan back in 1994. … the memo outlining this exchange surfaced in a volume of archival documents from the German Foreign Office, which was published last month. In the memo, dated January 14, 1994, Consul General Eberhard von Puttkamer quotes Putin as saying - Crimea, eastern Ukraine, and northern Kazakhstan — at least these areas — have never been foreign territory to Russia, but have always been a part of Russian land. It’s impossible to explain to a Russian that these are now considered foreign.”
—
“Putin’s boss at the time, St. Petersburg Mayor Anatoly Sobchak, had previously questioned the international borders that emerged from the Soviet Union’s collapse. In 1992, Sobchak argued that the USSR’s founding republics (the Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian SSRs, as well as the Transcaucasian SFSR) should return to their pre-Soviet borders, while “all other territorial acquisitions” should be subject to “discussions, negotiations, and decision-making.”
https://meduza.io/en/feature/2025/08/06/a-justified-perception-of-russian-interests
Is Russia Falling Apart?
By: Janusz Bugajski
(National Interest)
“Russian officials are sounding increasingly alarmed and even paranoid in their public statements about the future of their country. Most notably, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed in September of last year that Western governments have assembled a coalition of at least fifty countries in order to dismember Russia.”
—
“What may appear to be political paranoia or an attempt to mobilize citizens behind the regime is not necessarily based on imagined enemies. It reveals the official realization that numerous negative trends are converging on Russia and that the current regime, and even the state itself, may be running out of time.”
https://nationalinterest.org/feature/is-russia-falling-apart
Moscow to Slash Funding for Shipbuilding to Pay for Putin’s War
By Paul Goble
“At a time when Russia’s only aircraft carrier seems destined for the scrap heap, where her major naval vessel may soon follow, and the average age of the country’s ships of all kinds is over 40 years old, Moscow has slashed the budget for shipbuilding by more than 40 % …”
http://windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2025/08/moscow-to-slash-funding-for.html
Belarus targets government critics with continued raids and detention
(Euronews)
“Mass arrests, trials and convictions of government critics have continued since August 2020 when Lukashenko was handed a sixth term in office in an election that the opposition and the West denounced as rigged.”
—
“In January, he was given another term in balloting also seen as orchestrated to keep him in office. Tens of thousands took to the streets in protest, in the biggest demonstrations the country has ever seen.”
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“Authorities unleashed a violent crackdown in response, detaining and beating thousands and driving some 500,000 more into exile abroad.”
“Lukashenka has Repressed More than 500,000 Belarusians.” - Paul Goble
Russia’s New Internet Restrictions
(The Moscow Times)
“On July 31, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law that would fine Russians who deliberately searched for “extremist” content. Owners of VPN services will also be fined for providing their services. … Restrictions on freedom of speech sharply intensified in Russia with the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and continue to tighten today. According to Roskomsvoboda, some 25,000 websites have been blocked under military censorship laws since 2022. In 2024, the authorities banned writing about circumventing these restrictions, even in scientific articles. They also throttled YouTube, blocked Signal and Discord and banned advertising on “foreign agents.”
The long journey of Russia’s Dmitry Medvedev
(CNN)
“This week, in his semi-official role as Kremlin attack dog, Medvedev twice suggested that the administration of President Donald Trump was pushing the US and Russia towards war and warned of Russia’s nuclear capabilities, after Trump suggested he would apply new sanctions on Russia. While Medvedev is the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, he wields no executive power. But his provocative comments this week still made a splash.”
https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/02/europe/medvedev-trump-nuclear-submarines-intl
“Medvedevi agressiivsed avaldused on osa Kremli infostrateegiast.” - ERR
“Who Is Dmitry Medvedev, Russia's Hawkish Ex-President?” - Moscow Times
“Medvedev becomes Putin's provocateur-in-chief.” - France24
“The U.S. President dismissed Medvedev as a ‘failed’ president.” - Politico
From an article in The Atlantic, By Tom Nichols:
“Medvedev is a man with little actual power in Russia, but he has become Russia’s top internet troll, regularly threatening America and its allies. No one takes him seriously, even in his own country. He and Trump traded public insults on social media for months, with Trump telling Medvedev to “watch his words”. Medvedev is nicknamed “Little Dima” in Russia due to his diminutive stature …”
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/08/trump-nuclear-threat/683748/
“Medvedev Doesn’t Matter. Stop Acting Like He Does.” - Moscow Times
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“Russia is stripping political prisoners of their citizenship using a constitutional loophole.” - Novaya Gazeta
“Serious crime hits 15-year high in Russia after return of ex-convicts from Ukraine.” - Jamestown Org.
“Nearly 100 senior Russian officials have been charged with corruption so far in 2025.” - Novaya Gazeta
“Putin’s Revolution is Slow But It Very Much is a Revolution.” - Paul Goble
“Russian ultranationalists disrupt service honoring victims of Stalinism.” - Novaya Gazeta
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