Introduction: The Baltics as a Testing Ground

The Baltic states—Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania—have repeatedly faced a suite of coercive measures from Moscow that stop short of conventional war but inflict strategic harm. From the 2007 distributed denial-of-service attacks on Estonian institutions to recent energy shocks and disinformation campaigns tied to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin has refined a playbook of hybrid instruments designed to fracture societies, strain NATO commitments, and secure political gains without triggering a collective military response.

This article maps the modern Russian toolkit against the Baltics, provides concrete examples and data, analyzes Kremlin intent and capability, and outlines practical Western policy responses to strengthen deterrence and resilience.