The Baltic States perception of Russia

Abstract: By using the securitization theory and looking at media as well as official documents of each of the Baltic States; this paper investigated how the Baltic States perceived Russia’s actions in Ukraine and if the three countries look at the situation differently. The key-word is perception. Thus, this investigation will not answer if Russia is an actual threat but merely if the Baltic States perceive Russia as a threat.   The version of the securitization theory that was used in this research is the one explained in the book “Security: A New Analytical Framework” and is based upon the wideners broader theory which involves more sectors of society and, thus, other things than merely military objects can be viewed as a threat. The sectors that are involved are the societal, political, economic, and military. For this research the IT sector will be added. The material was selected from a number of newspapers and officially translated documents from a number of governmental webpages. These sources were analysed and then followed by a conclusion.  When looking at the sources that were analysed it was clear that the Baltic States perceive Russia as a threat. Estonia and Latvia has been explicit in their critique against Russia’s conduct. These two countries differ somewhat from Lithuania. One can interpret the actions as if the Baltic States perceive Russia as a threat; if this perception is justified, however remains.