BearInBaltics update

The bear in the Baltics: Reassessing the Russian threat in Estonia

  • Jennifer Kavanagh, Jeremy Shapiro
  • Policy Brief

While Estonia’s geography makes it vulnerable to a Russian invasion, it is also protected due to weakened Russian capabilities, stronger European defence cooperation and its own preparedness. NATO’s European members should be reassured but not complacent

The bear beneath the ice: Russia’s ambitions in the Arctic

The bear beneath the ice: Russia’s ambitions in the Arctic

  • Mikhail Komin, Joanna Hosa
  • Policy Brief

Russia is rapidly developing—and militarising—its Arctic territory as a strategic priority, even amid its war on Ukraine. Add Trump’s coveting of Greenland to the mix, and the next confrontation in Europe could be in its High North

Russian political and military strategy on Europe’s margins

A Russian bear is ranging through Europe’s neighbourhood. What should the continent’s policymakers do about it?

When Europeans talk about Russia, their primary focus understandably tends to be its ongoing war in Ukraine. Yet elsewhere on Europe’s margins, Moscow is pursuing geopolitical strategies that could prove just as relevant for Europe as events in the Donbas.

Taking a long-term view, ECFR’s authors have researched Russian influence—economic, political, military, societal—on Europe’s outer flanks and near abroad. The result is a complex, multi-dimensional story with several overarching conclusions: Europeans must become more alive to the weaponisation of interdependence; better at supplying their own defence; and more proactive in seeking partnerships with like-minded global powers. The bear is now at the door. With the right policies, Europeans can lock it out.

 

Illustrations by Chris Eichberger