Journalist Inga Spriņģe: current war anxiety is overblown

Recent weeks' events have heightened anxiety in Latvian society, with renewed talk about leaving the country and concerns over security. Journalist Inga Spriņģe, who has long researched and written about Kremlin influence methods, shared on social media her assessment of why she personally is not afraid of war breaking out right now.

The Ratcliffe visit and misunderstandings

Spriņģe notes that the heightened anxiety largely stemmed from reports that US intelligence chief Ratcliffe made a secret visit to Moscow. Several sources at the time claimed his goal was to warn Russian President Putin against attacking the Baltic states, citing the Wall Street Journal. However, after examining the original publication more closely, Spriņģe concluded it actually discussed a possible Russian attack on the Baltics within the coming years, not the coming days or weeks — information that has appeared in media for several years already.

Fear sells easily

According to Spriņģe, the situation was further inflamed by certain foreign journalists with large followings who spread alarming speculation, aware that fear is an easy sell. Other media outlets, in her view, also framed certain facts to make the story sound more dramatic. The involvement of so-called "armchair experts" in the discussion added to the unease.

Reliable sources of information

Spriņģe names the website Sargs.lv as one reliable information source, though she acknowledges it lacks sufficiently timely explanatory content — in her opinion, the Latvian armed forces need a representative who can inform the public promptly and clearly about current developments. She names her own husband Holger, one of Estonia's leading journalists researching Kremlin methods, as her most trusted source; his contacts within security services confirmed that the threat level has not increased.

In conclusion, Spriņģe acknowledges the current events cause legitimate concern, but says it is nothing beyond what has become routine in recent years. She says one must be prepared for ongoing provocations, but she currently has no fear of direct war.