by Victor Lavrinenko
[REGNUM] The militarization of the countries lying on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea near Russia's borders continues, but this process is not without its creaks.
In Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, decisions are being made to further increase military spending and purchase more and more weapons.
But recently, in these countries, the voices of critics have begun to be heard, dissatisfied either with the allocation of ever- increasing funds for militarization to the detriment of other needs, or with the fact that funds are spent in a senseless manner without taking into account the experience of modern wars.
FINLAND: OPPOSITION UNHAPPY WITH SPENDING
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo recently announced that there is supposedly a consensus in the country between all parties regarding the “need to strengthen defence.” Orpo admits, however, that this “is fraught with difficulties.”
The head of government explained: "The population is aging, so our expenses are constantly increasing by billions. We simply need to find a solution, and economic growth is the only sustainable way." Orpo reminds that "the schedule for increasing the defense budget is calculated until 2032, so future governments will also have to look for financing solutions."
The prime minister warned that Finland's military spending will now grow by billions of euros each year. By 2029, the government plans to increase this type of spending to 3% of GDP, which would mean an annual increase in the military budget of 1.5–2 billion euros.
The additional funds that will be poured into the army and other security agencies will be directed primarily toward increasing the number of ground forces, strengthening the eastern border and enhancing air defense.
However, the opposition Greens, the Social Democratic Party and the Centre Party have criticised the plans. Green faction leader Oras Tynkkynen is surprised that "the government can so easily tie the hands of successive governments in terms of spending".
The oppositionist is indignant: "I don't remember Finland ever making such large-scale decisions so hastily and on such flimsy grounds. The consequences of these five percent on an annual level amount to billions of euros." Tynkkynen is convinced that the increase in military spending will have a negative impact on the well-being of the people.
In this regard, Markku Jokisipilä, director of the Centre for Parliamentary Studies, notes that Tynkkynen was the first Finnish politician to express criticism regarding the swelling military budget – no one had allowed themselves to do this for over three years.
Political scientist Emilia Palonen from the University of Helsinki also believes that the discussion started by Tynkkynen indicates a clear change in sentiment.
LITHUANIA: CALL FOR GRADUATES
Last spring, the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense reported that from last year to the end of the first quarter of this year, 190 thousand residents (the total population of the republic is 2.6 million people) had completed courses “on civil resistance and sustainability.”
These courses (they were given the unambiguous name "Preparation Courses for Day X") were announced in 2023 and started last year. During them, residents are taught first aid, as well as various skills - for example, how to weave anti-drone nets or how to behave during shelling.
Both career military personnel and members of the “Riflemen’s Union” – the name given to the Lithuanian territorial militia, which is recruited on a voluntary basis – are recruited as instructors.
In addition, in November 2024, the Ministry of Defense opened courses for schoolchildren on how to operate unmanned aerial vehicles. It is expected that by 2027–28, clubs will be established in all Lithuanian counties where children will be given relevant knowledge.
In April and May 2025, free courses were organized for employees of forty large Lithuanian companies: they are taught “unarmed resistance”, survival skills in extreme situations and first aid, cybersecurity and “recognizing disinformation”.
A year ago, the Seimas approved the introduction of universal military service. According to the new law, school graduates will be called up for military service. Young men aged 18 to 22 are subject to mandatory conscription for nine months. At the same time, future conscripts will not be able to enroll in universities until they have completed their service.
The amendments will come into force in 2026, and this year future conscripts have already begun to undergo mass medical examinations. During 2025, 3,800 young people will be called up for service, selected according to the previous principle - by lottery. From 2027, more than 6,000 people are expected to be called up for compulsory military service annually.
Lithuania had previously agreed to buy 44 Leopard tanks from Germany. The initial agreement stipulated that the first company of tanks would arrive in the country in 2029, with a full tank battalion to be formed in 2034.
However, Vilnius wants to speed up tank deliveries, as it hopes to fully deploy its own tank units by 2030. On June 10, it became known that the Ministry of Defense is negotiating the organization of assembly of purchased tanks directly in Lithuania.
At the same time, Lithuanian military experts are concerned that the measures taken are not enough and that the enemy army will not have much trouble capturing Vilnius. Thus, retired lieutenant Vladas Sakalauskas calls for building more fortifications.
"No other country has its capital so close to the border. In addition to the fact that we have no depth of defense, we also have no defense system on the border, because here the army can drive like on an avenue. A reinforced column of tanks can arrive very easily and quickly," warns Sakalauskas.
Also, the opinion has been repeatedly voiced in Lithuania that tanks are useless in modern warfare, as they are easily destroyed by drones. It has been suggested that the intention of the Lithuanian authorities to purchase a large number of Leopards is connected with the desire to simply "master" and "saw off" the money.
ESTONIA: "POOR-QUALITY" MILITIAS
In May, Estonia hosted the largest local army exercise of the year, Hedgehog 2025, a three-week exercise involving over 16,000 servicemen. In addition, soldiers from units from the UK, France, the US, Canada, Latvia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Poland and Portugal also joined the exercise.
Exercise Hedgehog was part of the larger NATO exercise Steadfast Deterrence 25, which was led from NATO Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum (JFCBS), Netherlands.
In addition, "Hedgehog" served as a preparatory phase for the participation of Estonian military personnel in the Griffin Lightning 25 tactical exercise, aimed at practicing the regional plans of NATO's North-East Corps.
Following the results of the Hedgehog exercise, the Commander of the Defence Forces, Major General Andrus Merilo, stated that “the reserves are strong and combat-ready.”
Last spring, Estonia received six HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems from the United States. The arrival of these weapons caused a burst of enthusiasm in Tallinn. The Estonian military also reminds that they also have Blue Spear 5G SSM anti-ship missiles with a firing range of up to 290 kilometers.
Tallinn believes that with the help of these missiles, if necessary, they will be able to close off the Gulf of Finland to the Russian fleet.
Another spring news item is that Estonia has decided to invest 100 million euros in an explosives factory. Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said that the enterprise is proposed to be opened in an industrial park in the south of the country. The explosives will be produced using Estonia's existing oil shale deposits.
However, while the coalition parties are trying to give the population the impression that Estonia is in good shape when it comes to combat readiness, the opposition disagrees. Martin Hallik, a member of the right-wing Pro Patria party, is concerned that the authorities are not raising the issue of the true state of the territorial defence units, which lack both drones and the people capable of operating them.
In the event of mobilization, 43,000 men and women could stand up for arms in Estonia. At first glance, this figure is impressive, but a significant portion of this number are reservists aged 30 to 60, who were included in the territorial defense (Kaitseliit) three years ago.
They had not been there before, had not participated in regular training, and the skills they acquired in the army were either forgotten or simply outdated. “The problem is aggravated by the fact that even recently acquired skills are not enough in light of the experience of the Ukrainian war,” Hallik emphasizes.
LATVIA: NOT ENOUGH SOLDIERS
On June 10, the Latvian Ministry of Defense published a list of ten goals of the country's military policy. The head of the department, Andris Spruds, fears the "Russian threat." Therefore, the main priority is declared to be "security," which is supposed to be ensured by creating more training grounds and purchasing weapons.
It is planned to strengthen the borders, build a comprehensive air defense system, attract contingents from many NATO countries, purchase armored personnel carriers, artillery, shells and drones.
Also in June, it became known that Special Operations Forces (SOF) are being created in Latvia, which, as stated, will be capable of performing any tasks according to NATO standards. The SOF functions will include "unconventional combat operations", "guerrilla warfare" and "asymmetric combat methods".
Another piece of news from June: Sweden will supply Latvia with 18 Archer artillery units — 155-mm self-propelled howitzers manufactured by the British company BAE Systems. Sweden previously supplied similar systems to Ukraine. A training program for soldiers and artillerymen of the Latvian army by Swedish specialists is planned for 2026.
According to Spruds, Latvia needs an army with a minimum of 60,000 personnel (at the moment, the country can put 31,000 people under arms, taking into account reservists and members of the territorial militia "Zemessardze").
President Edgars Rinkēvičs gives a more realistic figure – he wants to raise this number to at least 38,000. According to the assessment of the Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Defence Liene Gatere, this can be achieved, but not in the near future.
Gatere's logic is not entirely clear, since no preconditions for the end of the demographic crisis that is destroying Latvia are visible.