Russia using intimidation to try to end Western support for Ukraine, says Latvian military chief

The commander of Latvia's National Armed Forces (NBS), Kaspars Pudāns, has said that Russia is trying to intimidate Western countries into ending their support for Ukraine. According to Pudāns, one of the methods Russia relies on is sabotage, which can be carried out with relatively limited resources yet still produce significant effects. He noted that such hybrid threats are difficult to fully prepare for, since their forms and methods keep changing.

Border situation assessed

Discussing the security situation in the Baltic region, Pudāns said Latvia receives intelligence information from both the United States and Ukraine. Based on currently available data, there are no indications that Russia is massing troops near Latvia's border. Still, the commander did not rule out the possibility of a new mobilization wave in Russia, which he said could give the Russian army a large number of additional soldiers. However, such newly mobilized troops would likely be poorly trained and would probably be sent mainly to fight in Ukraine.

"Namejs" exercise begins

Meanwhile, Latvia's annual comprehensive national defense exercise "Namejs" starts on Wednesday and will run for a month. Pudāns explained that the exercise takes into account lessons learned from ongoing wars, including testing new technologies and tactics. A large part of this year's "Namejs" exercise will take place outside military training grounds, allowing the armed forces to test their ability to operate in civilian environments as well.