Reporter - Danger in the Baltics: The threat from Russia - video Dailymotion

DW (English)

The calm is over and the Baltics face very real threats: human trafficking from Belarus, acts of sabotage and Russian military jets in NATO airspace.

Transcript

00:00The calm he once knew is gone.

00:10The neighbors have disturbed the peace.

00:15She no longer feels safe either.

00:19I'm not afraid, certainly not panic-stricken, but sometimes I feel uneasy.

00:28And she encounters more and more soldiers on her way to work.

00:33The situation has changed. Now they're on six-month rotation.

00:39Lithuanian Berute Krakasuskina, Estonian Ave Ungro and Latvian Andrzejs Pepkovic live in the Baltics, on the border with Russia.

00:50If Putin attacked NATO, their countries would likely be the first targets.

00:55How do these three Baltic residents cope?

00:58Anjace Pepkovic and his helpers are harvesting the season's last potatoes.

01:05The farmer grows vegetables on an area the size of 400 soccer fields.

01:12The farmer grows vegetables on an area the size of 400 soccer fields.

01:18Most of the inhabitants of Tranquil Indra in eastern Latvia earn their living from farming.

01:25I like the peace and quiet here. The people are nice and the surroundings are beautiful.

01:32It's a great place, and I never want to leave.

01:33It's a great place, and I never want to leave.

01:35But the scene is deceptive.

01:37Just a few kilometers from Indra, these concrete blocks are a reminder of Andrzejs Petkovic's aggressive neighbors.

01:44Indra is only 5 kilometers from the border with Belarus.

01:51Russia's closest ally in the war against Ukraine.

01:52The tensions are palpable here in Latvia, too.

01:53The tensions are palpable here in Latvia, too.

01:54It's a great place, and I never want to leave.

01:57But the scene is deceptive.

01:59Just a few kilometers from Indra, these concrete blocks are a reminder of Andrzejs Petkovic's aggressive neighbors.

02:09Indra is only 5 kilometers from the border with Belarus, Russia's closest ally in the war against Ukraine.

02:16The tensions are palpable here in Latvia, too.

02:19We used to live here in peace, without problems.

02:23We never felt aggression from our neighbors, and there weren't as many soldiers and border guards as there are now.

02:30But now the border is being reinforced everywhere.

02:34And when a helicopter suddenly appears, we know that migrants are trying to get into Latvia again.

02:45Illegally. Tens of thousands in the last three years, despite increased border controls.

02:54Western intelligence agencies have warned that Moscow is purposely sending migrants from Afghanistan and African countries to the EU via Belarus,

03:04with the aim of destabilizing Europe.

03:07Human smuggling is one of the tools the Kremlin uses in its so-called hybrid war against the West.

03:14It worries, Andrzejs.

03:19Of course I'm worried.

03:22Who knows what else the Russians might come up with?

03:26What part of the world they still need to finally be satisfied?

03:30That's why I'm concerned about the future.

03:35And that's why I support strengthening the borders, so I can feel at least a little bit safer.

03:42And feel safe harvesting the last potatoes.

03:52Some of them may end up in Beruta Krakasuskina's deep fryer.

03:56The trained teacher has been running a kebab shop in neighboring Lithuania for four years.

04:01The recipe is simple.

04:03Bread filled with chicken, cucumber, lettuce and tomatoes.

04:07But Beruta's success is due to a special ingredient.

04:14The secret to my kebabs is love.

04:19I really enjoy making them.

04:22The other secret is fresh ingredients.

04:26We only buy fresh meat and vegetables, nothing frozen.

04:30And my kebabs are also popular because the portions are big.

04:38Beruta's kebabs are especially popular with military customers,

04:42whose base is across the street from her shop in Rukla, Lithuania.

04:46A Baltic NATO member, Lithuania borders Belarus to the east and south,

04:53and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad to the west.

04:57Rukla, once a small Soviet garrison town,

05:00is now the Lithuanian Army's largest military base.

05:04It also hosts a multinational combat unit with soldiers from several NATO countries.

05:10If war breaks out, things will get really messy here.

05:19This military base would be one of the enemy's top targets.

05:23On the other hand, we've got someone right on our doorstep to defend us.

05:30And as far as my business goes, Lithuanian and foreign soldiers are already our best customers.

05:40Germany plays a special role in Lithuania.

05:45The German armed forces have been leading the multinational combat unit here since 2017

05:51and plan to station an entire brigade here by 2027.

05:555,000 troops to defend Lithuania alongside other NATO partners.

06:01Of course, we can't rule out war anymore.

06:06We talk to the soldiers all the time.

06:11We want them to support us, encourage us, and tell us that war will never break out here.

06:18But as the saying goes, if you want peace, you have to prepare for war.

06:25Our family has already drawn up an escape plan.

06:35If we have to flee, we'll think about going to where my parents live.

06:46NATO, however, is not thinking about fleeing.

06:50It plans to send even more soldiers to Lithuania.

06:56This carriage is bringing more visitors to Estonia.

06:59Specifically, to Hiyuma Island off the Estonian coast.

07:04Once a year, the island holds its festival for young and old alike.

07:08Ave Ungro has come here with her daughter.

07:12She loves this festival, but she's not quite as carefree as she once was.

07:21Life here will probably never be the way we once knew it.

07:25On the surface, many things are continuing as they always have.

07:29But the underlying feeling has changed.

07:31And that's also affected me personally.

07:39For Moscow, the Estonian island of Hiyuma in the Baltic Sea is strategically important.

07:45Because Russian ships pass by it on their way to and from St. Petersburg and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.

07:52This could pose a grave risk for Estonia.

07:54That's why 44-year-old Ave Ungro decided to do something for her family and country.

08:02Three years ago, the speech therapist joined the Nice Kodukaitse,

08:07the Estonian Women's Home Guard or NKK.

08:11The NKK was founded in 1927,

08:15banned during the Soviet era and revived after Estonia gained independence in 1991.

08:21The women now form part of the Kaitse liit, the voluntary Estonian Defence League.

08:29In the event of a war with Russia, armed and well-trained civilians would be able to reinforce Estonia's regular armed forces.

08:38I held a weapon during my military training, but I never fired a shot, strange as that may sound.

08:45I'll probably focus more on preparing and conducting evacuations in the future. I'm not a fighter by nature.

08:54But these NATO soldiers would fight to defend Estonia if Russia attacked.

09:03During NATO exercises, the armies prepare for exactly that.

09:13But right now, it is mainly acts of sabotage that endanger security.

09:18Russian fighter jets violate NATO airspace repeatedly.

09:22Russia is also suspected of jamming the navigation systems of Western aircraft.

09:26In April this year, two Finnish planes had to turn back after disappearing from radar.

09:33Western intelligence assumes these incidents are being coordinated from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad,

09:40where Moscow is also believed to be storing nuclear-capable missiles.

09:44Hi, want some potatoes? How many? Five sacks?

09:53Latvian farmer Andrzej Spetkovic has other things on his mind than war and peace.

10:02That'll be 25 euros, please.

10:05The harvest sale is starting in Indra, near the border with Belarus.

10:12And that's not all.

10:14Andrzej Spetkovic wants to open a brewery here soon to attract more tourists to Indra in the future,

10:19despite the hostile neighbors to the east.

10:24I believe that we will live in peace here in Latvia.

10:28When I think about the future, I try not to focus on the negative.

10:31That only makes it harder to move forward.

10:37Lithuanian Berute Krakasuskina says that her future lies with her two daughters,

10:43Lucrezia and Luisa.

10:45And, of course, with her kebab shop in the army town of Rukla.

10:49But today there are no kebabs at home, but pancakes instead.

10:53The girls only get them once they've done their homework.

10:55Can the family really imagine war breaking out here one day?

11:05Of course we're afraid of that.

11:10And that's why I wish for peace more than anything else.

11:14Not just here in Lithuania, but everywhere.

11:16And for my girls to be able to travel freely and meet other people without discrimination.

11:24Just kindness, peace and goodwill.

11:30Right? Give me a high five.

11:32Estonian Ave Ungro also believes in the future.

11:42Despite all the dangers from Russia, she says she would never leave her island.

11:46Her daughter and her friend applaud in agreement.

12:01They can't imagine living anywhere but here in the Baltics.

12:04A region whose need for protection from its aggressive neighbour to the east has never been greater.

12:34To be continued a huge

Reporter - Danger in the Baltics: The threat from Russia

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