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Royal Danish Embassy
T. Kosciuskos 36, LT-01100 Vilnius
Tel: +370 (5) 264 8768
Mob: +370 6995 7760
Fax: +370 (5) 231 2300
The Defence Attaché To
Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania
Newsletter for the Baltics
Week 16
2015
The following information is gathered from open sources, mainly from the Baltic News Service
(BNS), respective defence ministries press releases and websites as well as various
newspapers, etc.
THE BALTICS
NATO planes to perform training flights in Baltic
airspace
On 21-22 April Allied Air Command Ramstein in
collaboration with the defence forces of Latvia will
stage training flights in the airspace of the Baltic
countries.
This is already the 12th time that such flights are
taking place. The purpose of the exercise is to
hone skills in cooperation between fighter and
support aircraft in an international environment, in
cooperation between ground forces and air forces and actions of the air forces in an
emergency.
The expanded part of the training flights will take place at the Adazi military training ground
not far from the Latvian capital Riga.
Latvia, Estonia to coordinate military procurements
On 15 April Latvian Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma at a joint press conference with
Estonian counterpart Taavi Roivas said that Estonia and Latvia plan to make coordinated
military procurements in the future.
She said that both prime ministers have agreed that military procurements should be
coordinated not only within a country but also among all Baltic states.
Roivas told the press that the Estonian government has approved two large military
procurements – the purchase of the CV9035 infantry fighting vehicles from the Netherlands
and the acquisition of anti-tank missile systems Javelin from the United States. Other
procurements will be carried out in line with the 10-year national defence development plan.
Straujuma said that Latvia also has its own strategic plan, including 72 points for improvement
of defence.
Latvian and Estonian Prime Ministers calls for permanent NATO troops in the Baltics
On 15 April during the meeting between Laimdota Straujuma and Taavi Roivas, both Prime
Ministers commented that they were in complete agreement on the need for permanently
stationed NATO troops in the Baltic Countries. They further agreed on the need to implement
the decisions taken at last year’s NATO summit in Wales, and that they have a mutual
understanding of the phrase ‘a permanent presence of troops’. “There's no difference:
persistent, permanent, ongoing - different terms are used to describe the presence of NATO
troops here. What's important is that troops are here, full stop,” Straujuma asserted.
Recent developments may indicate that NATO presence might increase in the Baltics.
Last week, the Nordic countries announced their intention to enhance security efforts in the
Baltic and Artic Region, while Norway simultaneously pledged to send F-16s to Siauliai air base
in Lithuania.
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BALTICS AND RUSSIA/UKRAINE
Lithuania considering giving locomotives, electric trains to Ukraine
On 16 April Lithuanian Transport Minister Rimantas Sinkevicius in a press release noted that
Lithuania is mulling a possibility to send locomotives, electric trains and rail cars, which are not
used in the country, to Ukraine.
“We will discuss specific technical assistance possibilities some of these days,” said the
Minister.
Earlier on Thursday, he met with Ukraine’s ambassador to Lithuania, Valery Zhovtenko, to
discuss possible support to Kiev.
Estonian Foreign Minister reassured Ukraine of
Estonia’s support
On 16 April during a meeting in The Hague Estonian
Foreign Minister Keit Pentus-Rosimannus and her
Ukrainian counterpart Pavlo Klimkin discussed the
latest developments in Ukraine, with the Estonian
minister expressing firm support for the sovereignty
and territorial integrity of Ukraine as well as reform in
that country.
Pentus-Rosimannus and Klimkin spoke about the political dialogue to solve the crisis in Ukraine
taking place in the framework of the Normandy format. “Russia must put an end to
destabilizing the situation in eastern Ukraine, fulfil the Minsk agreements and respect the
territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine,” the Estonian minister said.
Russia will not divide Europe - German Foreign Minister in Vilnius
On 16 April German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has expressed certitude in Vilnius
that Russia will not succeed in dividing EU amid the fear that Moscow may lift the embargo of
food products from the countries that are friendlier towards the Kremlin.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius said at a joint news conference that “the threat
exists,” therefore, the European Union should be ready. In his words, it is very important for
the European Commission to be responsible in this aspect.
The ministerial meeting focused on the efforts against the Russian propaganda. In a joint
communique, the ministers said they agreed “to cooperate in supporting alternative Russianspeaking media,” with internships for Lithuanian journalists planned in Germany.
Estonian MEP condemns joint training of EU, Russian border guards
On 15 April European Parliament member for Estonia Urmas Paet expressed that a joint training
exercise of border guards of European Union member states and Russia is inappropriate.
Paet has sent to the EU’s Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini, commissioner for migration
and home affairs Dimitris Avramopoulos and head of the European border management
agency Frontex Fabrice Leggeri a memorandum stating that the joint exercise Zapad 2015
planned by border services of EU member states bordering the Baltic Sea, Russia and Frontex is
not appropriate in the current international situation and also because of Kohver’s abduction.
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Latvia and Estonia not ready to supply Ukraine with weapons
During last week’s meeting of Baltic council of Ministers in Vilnius the Latvian and Estonian
Prime Ministers said their support to Ukraine will be exclusively humanitarian or expert
assistance. Conversely, Lithuania has openly declared its intention to supply Ukraine with
offensive armament in the form of ammunition.
However, all three countries emphasised the need for structural reforms in Ukraine, and that
the Baltic countries could supply know-how on how to implement significant political,
economic and legal reforms. Estonian Prime Minister, Taavi Roivas further asserted that such
reforms hinges on economic assistance from the European Union and other international
organisations.
Newly commissioned Russian surveillance ship
detected near Latvia waters
On 14 April the National Armed Forces of Latvia
detected a Russian Armed Forces surveillance
vessel, the Yuri Ivanov, approximately five nautical
miles from Latvia’s Exclusive Economic Zone. This
mark the 32nd time Russian naval vessels have been
observed near Latvian territorial waters this year.
The Yuri Ivanov is a newly commissioned, large
reconnaissance vessel, equipped to provide communications and fleet management. National
Armed Forces also informs that the ship is the first of its class, handed over to the Russian Navy
sometime in 2013, and that it has the capacity of conducting state-of-the-art electronic warfare.
Lithuanian security report focuses on Respublika Publications, balsas.lt, signatory
On 13 April Lithuanian State Security Department stated that the media of the Respublikos
Leidiniai (Respublika Publications) and balsas.lt group, as well as the organisation founded by
signatory Rolandas Paulauskas disseminated anti-Western opinions, which “often echoed the
ideas propagated by Moscow.”
According to the document, “the media aimed to question the Lithuanian membership in the
EU, NATO and other Euro-Atlantic organizations, consistently formed an opinion that our
country's membership in the organizations implied political and financial harm.”
The department said that “anti-Western and pro-Russian ideas had actively disseminated by the
organization Musu Gretos of signatory Rolandas Paulauskas. In 2014, it launched live
broadcasts of the show Naktigone Kitaip on Youtube, publishing its documentaries and other
coverage on sauksmas.lt website.”
Lithuanian airsoft clubs learned Russian military tactics in Kaliningrad
In the report published on 13 April State Security Department states that Lithuanian airsoft
clubs last year participated in a tournament in the Russian Kaliningrad region, which provided a
training of the military tactics used by the Russian army.
According to the intelligence report, members of unnamed clubs "simulated tactics of Russian
special forces and trained together with Russian and Belarusian airsoft teams."
The tournaments also provide training to persons who are members of the Russian military
intelligence GRU special forces.
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Ban on RTR Planeta broadcasts took effect in Lithuania
On 13 April a ban on broadcasts of the Russian-language RTR Planeta channel took effect in
Lithuania, while the ban on rebroadcasts of some of the content of Ren TV Baltic has expired.
Edmundas Vaitekunas, the chairman of the Lithuanian Radio and Television Commission, said
that the rebroadcasting companies operating in the country have followed the commission's
instructions, including some that switched off RTR Planeta broadcasts at about 8 a.m. only.
The Lithuanian watchdog banned broadcasts of RTR Planeta for three months over instigation
of war and hatred, as well as repeated violation of the Law on Provision of Information to the
Public. The commission had imposed a temporary ban on other Russian-language channels:
NTV Mir Lithuania was banned for three months last year and The First Baltic Channel was
banned the year before.
Russian aircraft intercepts US Air Force
reconnaissance aircraft in hazardous manoeuvre
On 11 April a Russian SU-27 Sukhoi fighter aircraft
intercepted as US Air Force reconnaissance
aircraft RC-135U over the Baltic Sea. The Sukhoi
demonstrated recklessness and unsafe and
unprofessional conduct by flying within 6 meters
of the RC-135U. The incident afterwards prompted
an official US diplomatic protest. On 11 April
Russian Maj Gen Igor Konashenkov commented, stating that the US aircraft had been making
steady progress towards the Russian border without turning on its automatic transponder.
BALTICS AND EXERCISES
Estonian Defence Forces taking part in SWEDEX
On 17 April Officers and master candidates from the Estonian National Defence College and
students from the Baltic Defence College started in the active phase of the SWEDEX 15 joint
command post exercise.
The active phase of the exercise will last until 23 April and in its course participants in the
exercise must respond to an international crisis described in the legend of the exercise, for the
solving of which units of NATO and EU member states must work together.
Baltic Battalion held exercise in interoperability
On 16 April Gungir, a ten-day exercise of the Baltic Battalion in interoperability, ended at the
Adazi training ground.
“This training exercise clearly shows that the Baltic countries are ready to contribute to our
security as a joint force,” said the commanding officer of the exercise, Chief of Staff of the
Estonian Scouts Battalion Maj Mart Sirel.
In the first phase of the exercise that lasted from April 6 to 11 personnel from the three
countries honed their skills in acting as part of a national company. After that cooperation
between units and commanders took place, which culminated in the tactical combat exercise
that ended on Thursday. The battalion made up of defence forces personnel from the three
Baltic countries faced counter-action by soldiers of the Latvian 1st Infantry Brigade.
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Exercise Flaming Thunder began in Lithuania
On 13 April an international Exercise Flaming
Thunder 2015 kicked off. The exercise will run for
two weeks and involve roughly 450 soldiers from
four NATO countries – the US, Poland, Lithuania and
Portugal.
The exercise is taking place concurrently in two
military training areas. Lithuanian and US.artillery
units are practicing coastal defence and neutralising
targets over the sea at the Brigadier General Povilas
Plechavicius Training Area, while Lithuanian, US, Portuguese and Polish mortar platoons are
training rendering indirect fire support at the General Silvestras Zukauskas Training Area in
Pabrade.
The exercise higher control cell, the fire support coordination centre, is staffed by all the
countries participating in the exercise, however, its core is formed by military personnel of the
Lithuanian Land Force
US soldiers practicing parachuting in Estonia
On 10 April members of the 173rd Airborne Brigade of the US Army made their first parachute
jumps in Estonia in the Valga County. Depending on weather conditions a total of 90 US
soldiers were planned to jump out of a plane in two waves.
LITHUANIA
President - Lithuania needs to be united in wake of security threats
On 17 April Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskait4 opened a conference on defence issues at
the Presidential Palace. During her opening speech the president underscored that Lithuania,
as a small nation, needs to unite all forces, including politicians and journalists, on security
issues in the wake of existing threats.
Grybauskaite also underlined the growing importance of the information sphere. “We see that
very often conflicts start with informational tension, propaganda attempts and cyber-attacks,
and only afterwards, perhaps, but not always, they evolve into a conventional conflict and
confrontation,” the head of state said.
The conference is also set to discuss the implementation of Lithuanian political parties’
agreement on foreign, security and defence policy guidelines until 2020.
US to send officers to NFIU in Lithuania
On 16 April Under Secretary of State for Arms Control
and International Security for the US State
Department, Rose Eilene Gottemoeller, visited
Lithuania and met with Lithuanian National Defence
Minister Juozas Olekas during which the US official
confirmed that US is to send officers to NFIU under
establishment in Lithuania. It is planned that
Lithuanian NFIU will start operating this summer.
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Travel abroad for border guards tightened
On 16 April following a warning issued by the intelligence about the efforts to recruit
Lithuanian border guards in Belarus, the chief of the State Border Guard Service Renatas Pozela
has tightened the rules for their travels abroad.
Pozela said that border guards who want to travel to foreign countries, except for countries of
NATO, EU and the Schengen zone, for work-related or personal reasons have to fill out a
questionnaire and submit it to the service’s immunity units. Border guards traveling abroad for
work-related reasons have been advised to turn to immunity officers for consultations about
possible threats.
In late March, the State Security Department reported increased number of Belarusian
attempts last year to recruit Lithuanian officers traveling to Belarus.
Presidential Palace threatened by a foux bomber
On 15 April a man was threatening to detonate a bomb, which he claimed to carry in a suitcase,
outside the Presidential Palace in Vilnius.
During the incident, the Presidential Palace was cordoned off and evacuated. The president
was not inside the palace when the incident took place, her spokeswoman said.
Police officers found no explosives in a suitcase, only empty bottles. The man was detained.
Prosecutor Linas Kuprusevicius told journalists he found the suspect's behaviour suspicious and
therefore plans to have the man undergo medical examination. The man is currently charged
with an attempt to carry out a terror attack.
German Federal Minister of Defence paid a visit to
Lithuania
On 15 April Federal Minister of Defence Dr Ursula von
der Leyen paid an official visit to Lithuania, where she
met with Lithuanian National Defence Minister Juozas
Olekas.
After the meeting J. Olekas underscored the immense
importance of Germany’s military support to Lithuania
and to solidarity of the Alliance.
One German company-size unit will be deployed in Lithuania until July. It will join the combined
training with Lithuanian, US and Portuguese soldiers. Another group of German military
personnel will arrive in Lithuania in autumn to take part in Exercise Iron Wolf. The total of over
500 German soldiers is expected to come to Lithuania this year
“My German counterpart and I have agreed that the developments in Ukraine have not only
changed the settled order in essence but have also given a new drive for our bilateral relations
in the area of security, so that we would unify our capabilities and give an appropriate response
to the emerging threats in the Baltic Sea region,” said Lithuanian minister.
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Lithuanian army expects German howitzers next year
On 15 April German Federal Minister of Defence Ursula von der Leyen confirmed Berlin’s
readiness to sell 12 self-propelled howitzers PzH 2000 to Lithuania. The expectations to receive
artillery systems from Germany in 2016 were voiced by director of the Defence Ministry’s
Weaponry and Control Systems Department, Colonel Romualdas Petkevicius. In his words, the
German artillery systems “would significantly increase the Lithuanian army’s combat power
and the distance of fire effect.” Petkevicius said the howitzers can fire at targets at a distance
of 40-70 km.
Defence Policy director met with Director General of Security Policy of UK
On 14 April Defence Policy Director of the Ministry of National Defence Dr Vaidotas Urbelis
discussed security situation in the region, NATO agenda and bilateral military technical
cooperation at a meeting with Director General of Security Policy at the Ministry of Defence of
the United Kingdom, Peter Watkins, in London.
It was agreed at the meeting to coordinate the assistance rendered to the Ukrainian Armed
Forces more closely.
4 in 5 conscripts will serve in Land Forces
On 14 April Lithuanian Land Force representatives noted that four in five conscritps to be
recruited this year will serve in Land Forces.
The conscription will be carried out in two phases: 1,155 recruits will be conscripted in August
and September, and further 1,845 will be conscripted in November and December.
Out of the 3,000 conscripts to be recruited this year, 2,368 will serve in the Land Forces, 304 in
the Logistics Board and subordinate units, 153 in units of the Teaching and Doctrines Board, 51
in the Air Force, 52 in the Navy and 72 in the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas Staff Battalion.
Lithuania has new Chief of the State Security Department
On 14 April the new Director of the State Security Department Darius Jauniskis gave an oath in
the presence of Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite.
Jauniskis, former commander of the Lithuanian army's Special Operations Forces, replaced
Gediminas Grina whose five-year term expired earlier this month.
The president stated she expected the new security chief to be more active in preventing antiLithuanian activities.
Defence Policy Director met his French counterpart
On 13 April Defence Policy Director of National Defence Ministry Dr Vaidotas Urbelis met with
Defence Policy Director of the French Ministry of Defence Philippe Errera in Paris.
At the meeting the Defence Policy Directors underscored that the Russian aggression, the
situation in Libya or the ISIL in Syria and Iraq are an increasing threat to Europe, while the
territory beyond NATO borders is turning into one large instability zone.
V. Urbelis also pointed out the importance of the NATO RAP and invited France to contribute
actively to the measures of deterrence in the region by further strengthening the NATO BAP
Mission and taking part in the exercises in the Baltic Sea. Ph. Errera also underlined that France
will continue contributing actively to the reassurance measures in the Baltic region. France will
also maintain its active posture in solving conflicts in the Middle East and Africa.
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LATVIA
Germany plans to send soldier for military exercises in Latvia
German Minister of Defence Ursula von der Leyen announced on 14 April that Germany intends
to send 400 soldiers to Latvia for three to five months to participate in a number of military
exercises. During her official visit to Latvia this week, the Minister, emphasised the need to
strengthen the security of the Baltics, namely through the presence of soldiers from other
NATO countries. This signifies a notable change of policy , as Germany has remained highly
sceptical of increasing the number of NATO soldiers on Baltic soil at the onset of the Ukrainian
crises. Commenting on the government’s change of attitude, von der Leyen admitted that
Germany and other EU member states had had a hard time accepting the depth of Russia’s
change of position towards more a more aggressive foreign policy. She further added that
“(…)after we learned about the facts about Russia's hybrid-war in eastern Ukraine and the
annexation of Crimea, this convinced German residents that our perceptions of Russia were
different, and that we must be more present in all NATO member states, including Latvia.”
Latvian based NATO CoE studies influence of ISIL
Last week Latvian Minister of Defence Raimonds
Vejonis met with the director of NATO’s Centre of
Excellence for Strategic Communications, Janis Karklins,
and the centre’s experts from Estonia, Great Britain,
Italy, Latvia, and Poland, to discuss the centre’s agenda
and research projects for 2015.
The centre’s current projects revolve around assessing
the coalition’s strategic communication effort and its
adaptability to current challenges. These challenges
include informational warfare waged by the Islamic
State (ISIL) and its impact on NATO member states, the role of media and propaganda in hybrid
warfare, and an assessment of strategic communication during the International Security
Assistance Forces operation in Afghanistan 2003-2014.
“At a time when information is used as a means of intimidation, it is especially important to
strengthen NATO's capacity to communicate in a challenging informative environment, in
accordance with the principles of democracy (…),” the Defence Minister said.
ESTONIA
Parliament initiated establishment of a committee for security institutions supervision
On 16 April Estonian Parliament's constitutional committee initiated the establishment of select
committee for supervision over security institutions. Select committee is established by a
decision of the Riigikogu and the decision about the creation of a select committee is put to the
final vote in the second reading. According to the draft of the decision, the security institutions
select committee would be made up of MPs Krista Aru, Uno Kaskpeit, Martin Kukk, Erki
Savisaar, Ken-Marti Vaher and Hardi Volmer.
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Interior Minister - Role of internal security is growing
On 16 April in his speech to participants in the executive course in national defence Interior
Minister Hanno Pevkur said that national defence does not consist of military defence alone
and internal security and everyone's contribution to making the country safer are playing an
ever greater role in it.
Pevkur also underscored the importance of the principles of comprehensive national defence.
He said the non-military section of the National Defence Development Plan 2013-2022 sets our
in addition to military activities also the coordination, cooperation plans and investments of
other areas, such as health care, the economy and national defence. It's essential that the
normal functionality of all ministries and agencies of the state was preserved in the event of a
crisis, the minister said.
Interrogation of Estonian security official in Russia adjourned again
On 15 April Estonian Internal Security Service (ISS) official Eston Kohver’s Russia-appointed
attorney Yevgeny Aksyonov said that the interrogation will not take place because of the
schedules of the investigator and the defence lawyer.
“There will be no questioning this week. Tomorrow (on 16 April) the investigator will be busy,
whereas on Friday I will have no time because I have to appear in court in connection with
another case,” Aksyonov said. “The investigator has not scheduled a new time yet. I think that
the questioning will take place next week.”
The planned interrogation that definitely must take place in the presence of the lawyer would
be the first for Kohver this year. The last time the questioning was put off for a similar reason
was at the end of March.
Estonian President: border states of NATO need permanent deterrence units
On 14 April at a meeting with German Federal Minister of Defence Ursula von der Leyen
Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves said that in the present security situation border
states of NATO need permanent deterrence units.
Ilves and von der Leyen talked about the European security picture and the deterrent value of
permanent presence of NATO as a collective defence alliance in the Baltic states, the
president's office said.
Although there is more and more talk about hybrid war, Russia's activities in Ukraine
demonstrate the continued importance of traditional deterrence that has been one of the
mainstays of NATO credibility for decades, Ilves said.
Estonian artillery exercise ends in interoperability training with US Air Force
On 11 April The Turmtuli (“Barrage”) exercise of the Estonian Artillery Battalion that started in
West-Viru County on 6 April ended in a two-day live-fire exercise at the defence forces’ central
training ground that included joint action with the U.S. Air Force. Eight artillery crews made up
of conscripts fired all together nearly five hundred shells at the target area situated 10
kilometres from the artillery positions. The live-fire exercise was preceded by a four-day tactical
exercise in the course of which combat skills of the troops were honed in Rakvere and Kadrina
and training exercises held in supporting anti airborne assault welfare and protecting units
against air attacks.
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British general Barrons visits Estonia
On 10 April Gen Sir Richard Lawson Barrons, commander of the UK
Joint Forces Command visited Estonia. Barrons met with Estonian Chief
of Defence Forces Lt Gen Riho Terras and discussed NATO collective
defence and the possibilities for deepening bilateral defence
cooperation. Before the meeting, Barron laid wreaths on the grave of
British soldiers who lost their lives fighting for Estonia’s freedom in the
War of Independence as well as on the foot of the memorial for the
War of Independence at the cemetery of the defence forces in Tallinn.
German unit to train in Estonia in 2016
On 8 April Estonian Chief of Defence Lt Gen Riho Terras
told at the start of his two-day visit to Germany that the
German Air Force will serve another rotation on the
Baltic Air Policing mission in Estonia during fall 2015,
and in 2016 a German unit will come to Estonia for
training. After a meeting with his German counterpart
Gen Volker Wieker, Terras continued to say that
Germany is an ally that has both the capability and
willingness to contribute to the security of the Baltic
Sea region. The two defence chiefs spoke about possibilities to intensify defence cooperation
in the changed security situation, where Germany’s participation in the NATO command
element to be set up in Tallinn and German officer’s taking up positions with the command
element soon marks an important milestone.
Newsletter was prepared by Aistė Aurelija Azbytė-Slott, Katja Nørgaard Hansen (intern, Tallinn),
Emil Bargmann Madsen (intern, Riga).
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