3:30 Small Correction: It is a Lithuanian-Swedish cable NOT a Latvian-Swedish one 4:09 The Russian tracks are wider than the European ones, not vice-versa 4:15 - 4:30 Natural Gas is quite important ;-) #Oups On another note, as you can probably tell the video schedule is quite irregular right now. I'm trying to improve the quality which also requires me to learn how to use After Effects (properly) and takes quite a bit of time. So I just wanted to mention that I can't promise to upload regularly right now, I'll do my best though. Cheers!

Divorce? It is an escape, not a divorce. They were never ”happily married”, they were abducted!

As a Russian I can say, that I am really ashamed of what my ancestors did with the Baltic countries. I am happy that you managed to do a lot to make your independence stronger. Hope, one day, Russia will stop its ridiculous aggressions and become a peaceful country among other peaceful nations. Greetings from Moscow.

Support to Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian people! Stay strong 💪 Greetings from Poland 🇵🇱

Thank you for using the term "REgained their independence". Most videos I've watched fail to mention that. We are not new countries crated in 1991

We are not escaping russian culture and language. Every Baltic country has theyr own languague and culture. That is why we managed to live trough occupation, rusification and all this crap. First written Lithuanian book "Katekizmas" came to life earlier than first russian book.

The ban on Russian state TV isn't really a loss for journalism because there's barely any intergrity left. It's pure propaganda at this point.

Shout out to my Baltic brothers and sisters, from Germany!

Much love to our Baltic European brothers from Greece ❤️

A tunnel between Tallinn and Helsinki would be about as long as the Channel Tunnel and would help to fully integrate the North East with the rest of the EU.

I find it ok to ban Russian state media. One does not have to listen to lies about one being told in front of oneself.

There is no divorce. The Baltics were forced to be married by the soviets.

Most important - Baltic states didn't divorce from ussr but REGAINED their independence which was lost due to soviet occupation in 1940.

quiet ukrainian whisper: wait, you could do that?

Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, you are the greatest!

Great video, it really is densely filled with information and a ton of different sources. 👍

1 correction: trade with Russia is dwarfed by trade with the EU, at least in Latvia, but I'm sure it's the same case in the other Baltics. "In 2020, Latvia’s biggest trading partners were Lithuania (17% of Latvia's total trade turnover), Estonia (10%), Germany (9%), Russia (7%) and Poland (7%)." "In 2020, exports to EU countries made up to 66% of the total volume of Latvian exports"

There can be no irrational fear of russia, only rational. We in finland would have the exact same situation and problems to deal with today if we hadn´t made an almost supernatural effort to hold that bridge in ´44...

I love the video but as a train fan I can not stand silent when you said that the russian gauge was smaller than the european. it is the other way around. Eropean standard gauge is 1435 mm and russian standard gauge is 1520 mm. just a friendly reminder.

Oh I love that you did something on the Baltics! Its really sad that "European" Documentations tend to forget our Eastern Member States and their unique situations. Could you maybe do something on the European Road vs Rail Situations? =)

The Baltics are lucky they escaped Russia. Hopefully Moldova, Ukraine, and Belarus can join them one day.

Props to Baltic people for standing up! As a Russian person you have all my respect!

Love to 🇪🇪 and 🇱🇻 and 🇱🇹 from Finland 🇫🇮

At first, it was not a marriage. When Germany occupied Belgium, France or Norway - was it a marriage?

More like a escape from an abusive relationship Divorce is putting it lightly

This is like... a lot of information condensed into 10 min. Nice job!

if historically russia respected baltic state neutrality, when maybe baltic states be fine being neutral buffer zone between nato and russia. But now being neutral just means eventually they will be annexed by russia

Excellent video: I speak Russian and Estonian and learned things here, which is unusual since I know this region very well. Liked, commented, and subscribed. Looking forward to seeing more of your great work!

Good reporting😃. I hope this gets high visibility

If a person raped and crippled another person and then that other person ran away from the abuser, can you really call it a divorce?

0:50 oh yes you forgot to mention what that really meant. Basically they banished wealthy Lithuanians/Latvians/Estonians from their homes to Siberia, and let those Russians occupy their homes to stay there and live as newcomers. According to Wiki during the banishes nearly 6mln people from all the USSRS occupied countries were banished to Siberia and other places where it was nearly impossible to live properly, out of those 6mln around 1-1,5mln people died before actually reaching the destinations they were sent to. From Lithuania alone nearly ~50k people were banished.

Good for the Baltic States. They have always been culturally part of the West. It's amazing the way they have preserved their own languages, cultural traditions and sense of nationhood despite generations of aggressive Soviet attempts at Russification. One of the most moving documentaries I have ever seen is "The Singing Revolution" (2006), about the Baltic States' (especially Estonia's) road to self-determination and the restoration of their independence during the period of "glasnost" in the 1980s and early '90s. So many of the Baltic peoples were murdered by Stalin and the Soviets after the annexation of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania (tens of thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands, a large percentage in the small, sparsely populated countries), it approached something resembling genocide. It was also criminal the way the Soviets tried to erase the languages and cultures of the three small nations during their occupation. And Russia has never atoned for what they did to the Baltic states! But the Baltic peoples, with courage, determination and perseverance, won the day in 1991. My respect and admiration for these three brave small nations is boundless.

We weren't ever married. Rather kidnapped and shamefully raped. I'm Latvian from Riga. And I'm glad, that in cooperation with our western friends, we can brake ties with Mongols. Special thanks to US and Canada.

thanks for such an important video

Baltic states did everything right, Ukraine will do the same, even if a little late.

Your claim about the significance of economic ties between the Baltic countries and Russia is a bit exaggerated. Russia is for Estonia only the 7th biggest export partner and 6th biggest import partner. However, it is true that Estonia is having a trade deficit with Russia.

Me who Lives in Latvia🇱🇻 approves this

Finland was part of the Russian empire

Nice channel. Thank you very much for the information!

Fantastic channel, so informative and fresh. Keep up the good work

A country that almost borders Germany to Japan vs three Countries combined smaller than England, that’s kinda scary....

We never married them. It’s disrespectful and dismissive of the genocide to imply we’ve voluntarily gotten hitched with the russifists. Stop making jokes about genocide, it’s simply never funny.

great job! thanks a lot

I'd love to visit the Baltic states, but alas I'm on the other side of the world in Australia. Before WW2, only Anglo Saxons and Celtic people were allowed to move here. The Australian govt wanted to really increase it's population through immigration and they chose Estonians as the first non-Anglo/Celt people to be let in. The Estonians were chosen to show the people here that these new immigrants were good people who would fit in well and contribute to Australian society. When the boat carrying the first Estonians arrived, the Australian officials on board asked all the young women to stand on the deck as huge crowds had gathered to welcome them to Melbourne. Once the Aussies saw all these beautiful young blonde women, they really wanted more immigrants and people from the other Baltic states were now allowed to migrate to Australia. So the Baltic states actually had a really significant impact on Australia. The govt officials really sold immigration to the population by asking those pretty young Estonian girls to stand on deck. It was a smart move. I even lived near the Estonian Club in North Melbourne (it's like a community centre, especially for the older generation as their descendants are completely Aussie now) and I really wanted to go in and explore. Anyway, you guys from the Baltic states have beautiful cultures but good grief your languages look really confusing!

Thanks for the subtitles

There was an error at 8:42. The 3 seas initiative was started by Poland and Croatia and not by Poland and Romania. The modern Three Seas Initiative was launched in 2015 by Polish President Andrzej Duda and Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović. It held its first summit in Dubrovnik (Croatia) on 25-26 August 2016.

A pretty good coverage. Nice work!

Thank you very much, EXCELLENT.

Would be delighted to see an update taking into account the war in Ukraine & Finland joining NATO. I have long been concerned about the Suwalki Gap. Suspect it may be safer now.

Well made video 👍

Awesome vid

I think it's pretty clear why the Baltic countries (and pretty much the rest of the eastern EU member states) want to reduce their energy dependency on Russia, yet at the same time, I don't get why Germany is going against the trend by being very adamant with its Nordstream project with Russia? 🤔

That was super interesting! Keep it up!

I remember when Crimea was occupied, us within my family (in Latvia) literally had laid out plans what to do if the same happens here. Flee ir stay? How to flee? Where. That was actually pretty depressive.

Very good video! Love from a Latvian

Thanks for the video from 🇱🇹.

Inicial map is incomplete, Finland was also part of the Russian empire

Just a bit of advice about graphics, particularly maps: Start wide, give the viewers time to get their bearings then zoom in or pan to illustrate your points, but don't over do it. On the whole I think you have chosen one of the best approaches, good quality audio recordings and the animated figure sidesteps all the "piece to camera" issues, lighting, appearance, etc.

Thank you the Englsih subtitle.

0:29. Finland was part of Russian Empire

So funny to see hordes of russian trolls in the comments, like, who are you gonna convince, Vasia?

Very in depth and well made video. Except for the last line, the Baltics will be able to escape Russian culture! It is in their northern heritage to conquer against all odds. The Baltics will one day be Nordic.

6:19 Sadly it is the opposite way around, most often than not, a Latvian who doesn't know Russian can't get a job here. Which is absurd when you think about it.

The map at 0:17 does not show Finland as part of the Russian empire. Not that I think it was a good thing, but to be accurate, Finland should be included albeit it had an autonomous status within the empire.

Bravo to the Baltic’s 🙏🏻

Great analysis and a channel as a whole!

It is literally impossible for any of the Baltic states to be Russophobe. A phobia is a irrational fear. All the fears arent irrational with russia track record.

finland was part of russian empire too

thanks this is very informative

I've said this in the last video, but the subtitles still need a bit of work. atm they look like they were done automatically. Great video as always though.

It is important to the baltic countries to enhance military integration with the NATO and to reduce energy dependence from the Russia.

Information on *residence permit* is factually false. Russian speakers here have either a full citizenship OR partial citizenship (full rights, but can't hold an government office, because of concern of loyalty to Russia). *Note on history:* After the dissolution of Soviet Union everyone who lived in Latvia before WWII automatically got Latvian passport. Also a sizeable Russian speaking minority, including their descendants. Those who came to live in Latvia from Soviet Union during Cold war either moved to Russia or stayed back in Latvia. The ones who stayed got Latvian *alien* passport which effectively is citizenship, with limit on participating in governance and army. This type of passport in the world is one of a kind, because Russian Federation gives visa-free travel to the holders of said passport which is not the case for Latvian default passport AND the alien passport holders have free travel to Schengen area as any Latvian citizen does. This has created an absurd situation whereby alien passport holders, technically, have more freedom, not less, unlike some TV channels in Russian media like to portray. Especially on human rights.

It’s a little weird having a cartoon guy presenting such a serious topic but essential information. I love and support the Baltic countries. 🇺🇸❤️🇪🇪🇱🇻🇱🇹 I pray one day the Russian government will change and we can be friends and partners 🤷‍♀️ because Russian people deserve better.

This is a wonderfully informative video for a viewer in Canada, who knows very little about the Baltic countries, their history and challenges. However, given the breadth of issues covered, it would have been better delivered in a much longer video, allowing the viewer to absorb all the information. I had to watch the video three times, often repeating sections, to take it all in.

Pretty accurate video.

Can u make a document about Silesia?

Great video!

Excellent!!! As an American, I enjoyed learning about these Nations, their history, and current politics. You’ve earned my Sub. Looking forward to more from your channel

Estonia is one of the rare countries that helps France by sending troops in Sahel to fight against djihadism

Thanks for the reminders, my teenage years exactly matched those of the Cold War (1979-1985).

Damn, I wonder why only Lithuania has like a 3% Russian population, unlike Latvia and Estonia.

No one blames the Baltics for trying to isolate themselves from Russia; however, that's a tall order given their physical proximity. Unfortunately the EU is in a state of perpetual existential crisis, and their failing demographics doesn't bode well for the Baltics if they go to far to isolate themselves from their biggest neighbor. Russia isn't in a much better position; however, they have a history of massive rebounds, and that should be concerning to the Baltics.

Bro how much time it takes after accumulating resources?

Banning Russian propagandist state TV is very good decision. I grew up in 'Russian minority' area and I can affirm that a lot of them, especially older generation purposefully have never learned Lithuanian and were encouraged by Kremlins TV to detest their local communities, and country they are residing. They are explicitly or candidly racists towards Lithuanians and live in a bubble. Now situation is much much better after all the EU travelling and exposure to other cultures, but still Kremlin's influence is immense. The funny thing is though they don't want to move to Russia or when they go their they present themselves as foreigners :) It is a very peculiar consciousness, stuck in some sort of limbo, a fantasy that was never fulfilled, with confused identity, a lot of anger, resentment and jaded pride.

Great channel!

Also, little subtitle correction: in 4:17, the subtitles say "clay beta" instead of Klaipeda. A funny little error, but might be confusing to someone who doesn't know better. At 5:57 it says "schools in Latvia", but the subtitles say "schools and Lithuania".

At 1:00 you said 1945 but the chart and subtitles say 1935. Which one is it?

here before 100.000 suscribers and before 5000 too, great content, this here is what the internet is for, non-state-controlled information, free of propaganda and fae news

The Baltic Kountries are making all the smart moves.

!!! A lot of you are getting wrong impression about the ban of russian language. It's not what you think. In Latvia we have radio stations, newspapers and even TV channels in russian language. Some of them are state sponsored. We are expanding latvian language into russian schools (yes that is also a thing) so they could better adapt into our society, because a lot of russians don't know latvian language and it is harder for them to get a good job without the knowledge of language. We are actually helping them... And it think it's incredibly stupid that we still have separate schools for latvians and russians. We all should be under one roof.

Hey WTFF, We never married Russia...THEY HELD US CAPTIVE

Map of Russian Empire is inaccurate. Finland was part of it back then.

The three Baltic nations should cooperate and together build the great Baltic wall. Sort of like the Maginot line. This will help delay any possible invasion from the East thus giving the Western powers time to send defensive troops and equipment. Estonia's border with Russia is 294 km. (183 miles) long. Latvia's border with Russia is 214km. (133 miles) long Lithuania's does not border Russia proper but does border the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. which is 227 km. (141 miles) long. Lithuania's border with Russian allie Belarus is 227 km. (141 mi) long.

Awesome video! Also Listen to the “Eastern Sunrise” Podcast on any podcast platform to find out what’s going on in the business world in the Baltics and Eastern Europe!

Can you make a video about the southern european economies?

1:50 the chart is named Latvia and Lithuania meanwhile statistics are of Latvia and Estonia

all three of them beautifull countries a lot of love to our eastern corridor

For us in Saint-Petersburg, Baltic states has always been a resort and a favorite places for vacation. I know how strange it sounds, but we love you, the government in Moscow can do anything, but we really love you

Well done guys 😁. That has been all yours to use and be free . Keep safe 😊

The partisan resistance after soviet occupation in 1940 was strongest and longest in Lithuania. Actually this resistance was so strong that Russians were afraid to send there their inhabitants as they did in Latvia and Estonia. Because of that russian minority is smallest in Lithuania today.