Russia is currently carrying out a large-scale and coordinated information operation against Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, claiming that the Baltic states are allowing their territory to be used for Ukrainian attacks against Russia, the Latvian Ministry of Defence told the LETA news agency.
The Ministry of Defence emphasised that Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are not involved in the planning or execution of Ukraine’s counterattacks against Russia. The Baltic states support Ukraine by supplying military equipment, humanitarian aid and financial assistance, and they stress that Ukraine has the legitimate right to defend itself against Russia’s full-scale invasion.
With such statements, Russia is demonstrating its weakness and attempting to divert attention from the fact that it is unable to defend itself against Ukraine’s successful counterattacks on Russian infrastructure along the Baltic Sea coast, the ministry said.
The Ministry of Defence noted that the aim of Russia’s information operations against the Baltic states is to discredit NATO, divide society, undermine trust in state institutions and weaken support for Ukraine. Disinformation and social media bots are being used, targeting Russian-speaking audiences and involving young people.
It has already been reported that this week drones entered and exploded in all three Baltic states.
Most likely, while Ukraine was defending itself against Russian aggression, the drones were aimed at targets in Russia but deviated from their course or were diverted by electronic warfare interference methods.
Officials of the Baltic states have emphasised that these incidents are a consequence of Russia’s full-scale war of aggression and that similar incidents may recur.
Early Monday morning, in Lithuania’s Varėna district near the Belarusian border, a drone crashed onto the frozen Lake Lavysas.
In Latvia, a drone entered the country’s airspace from Russia during the night leading into Wednesday
and exploded in the Krāslava municipality approximately one kilometre from the centre of Svariņi parish, while another object briefly entered from Belarusian territory and then returned towards Russia.
Meanwhile, in northeastern Estonia, a drone that entered from Russian airspace crashed into the chimney of the Auvere power plant on Wednesday morning.
Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė confirmed that the fallen and exploded aircraft was a Ukrainian drone intended for a target in Russia.
Latvian officials have also acknowledged that the unmanned aerial vehicle that entered Latvian airspace and detonated was a Ukrainian drone, apparently part of a coordinated Ukrainian operation against Russian targets.
On the night leading into Wednesday, Ukraine carried out drone strikes on the Russian ports of Ust-Luga and Vyborg in the Leningrad region. Prior to that, Ukrainian drones struck the port of Primorsk in northwestern Russia. These ports are located on the coast of the Gulf of Finland in the Baltic Sea.
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