Security dilemma in the Baltic states after the Crimea annexation

Abstract

Security threats related to Russia’s revisionism in the Baltic region have been observed since the Russia-Georgia war (2008), but the Baltic states have experienced significant challenges as a result of the aggressive policy of Russia in Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea in 2014. Russia is seen as the most influential actor who influences the security in the region. While security challenges in the Baltic states are primarily seen through the prism of the military threat, the Baltic states perceive themselves as being under the pressure Russia is exerting on their political systems, economic, social and cultural cohesion as well as national identities. The objective of the study is to answer the question of how the ‘Ukrainian crisis’ affects security discourse in the Baltic states and how they are adapting to new security challenges on the national and regional levels. Additionally, the relation (hierarchy) between the regional and national security interests of the Baltic states will be analyzed.