Latvian officer: watch for concrete signs, not loud statements, to gauge military threat to Baltics
Latvian Armed Forces Major Jānis Slaidiņš said on TV24 there is currently no basis to claim a direct military threat to the Baltic states, urging the public to track verifiable indicators rather than loud statements.
Latvian National Armed Forces Major and National Guard staff officer Jānis Slaidiņš addressed how to assess a potential Russian military threat to the Baltic states during an appearance on TV24's program "Current Developments in the War in Ukraine."
He advised against focusing too much on loud statements circulating in the information space, urging instead attention to practical, verifiable indicators. Among the key signs he named were the movement of Russian reserves, troop concentrations, and the deployment of new military units near the Baltic states' borders.
What to monitor
Slaidiņš said particular attention should also be paid to the situation in the Kaliningrad region, changes to Russia's mobilization legislation, and the activity of Russian special services in Europe.
He stated that there is currently no grounds to claim a direct military threat to the Baltic states, though he did not rule out various hybrid activities, which have been increasing in intensity across Europe recently.
Slaidiņš emphasized that true intentions are best revealed through actual actions rather than declarations. Therefore, should the situation change, specific military and political activities would serve as the key signals to watch for.
