The Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service, in its annual report, documented Kremlin attempts to restore political influence in the Baltic region through a network of Kremlin-controlled academic structures. According to intelligence, after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and Finland’s and Sweden’s accession to NATO, Russia lost access to key formats of regional cooperation. In response, Moscow decided to push the concept of the Baltic-Nordic macroregion (BSM), which was meant to become a tool for restoring influence.
Baltic-Nordic Macroregion: Aims and Mechanisms
According to intelligence, the initiative is coordinated by the President of the Russian Federation’s Directorate for Border Cooperation, linked to the security agencies and intelligence services of the Russian Federation. Under the guise of scientific collaboration, issues of security, sanctions, and internal politics of the region’s countries are discussed. In other words, the project has nothing to do with real academic work; this is another hybrid influence operation.
Analytical structures noted that one practical manifestation of the BSM became the Baltic Platform. However, the attempt to establish dialogue with scientists from the Baltic states and Nordic countries failed. Most participants are Russian researchers themselves. To create the appearance of “internationality,” Belarusian representatives and Kremlin-loyal “experts from third countries” are drawn into the format.
If you look at the scale of these actions, similar hybrid-influence initiatives via academic platforms have been recorded in other Nordic countries, notably Norway, which signals a systemic Kremlin approach.
Analysts also indicate that Russia is conducting an information campaign to undermine the sovereignty of the Baltic states and is laying the groundwork for possible aggressive actions in the Baltic region.