Arming against Putin - NATO in the Baltic Sea | DW Documentary

he Baltic Sea was thrust into the center of geopolitics after Russia’s invasion into Ukraine. Feeling the threat from Russia, Finland joined NATO and Sweden is on the path to be next. That would put the Baltic Sea almost entirely under NATO control.

How did this Baltic frontline look in the past? The fact that the Cold War could have turned hot right here, started to fade from public consciousness after 1990. But Moscow’s aggression in February 2022 presented a stark reminder. Russia’s full-scale attack on Ukraine sent shock waves across the Baltic region. Finland is now a member of NATO, and Sweden is in the process of accession. This would turn the Baltic into NATO’s "inland sea,” in complete defiance of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s imperial aspirations.

Russian troops and Western forces are locked in constant power plays in the Baltic Sea. While Finland has been a NATO member since April 2023, Sweden's membership has been held up by Turkey. Estonia's government, meanwhile, is urging action. After all, people in the Baltic states are all too familiar with the looming dangers, having lived for decades under Soviet occupation.

On Russia’s Navy Day in 2022, Putin renewed the country’s claim to global naval dominance. Russia's fleet-building program, however, appears to be stalling in the wake of the costly attack on Ukraine. But a weakened standing does not make a regime any less dangerous. Experts are not ruling out the possibility that Russia will use nuclear weapons. And here too, the Baltic Sea takes center stage.

This documentary invites viewers on an image-rich journey to scenes from this conflict. High-ranking political and military officials as well as leading experts illustrate the volatility of the Baltic Sea. In the end, there’s a prediction as to which side between Kiel and St. Petersburg will have the upper hand - the East or the West. The film examines present dangers and the consequences that could very well follow.