The authorities of the Baltic states are preparing for mass deportations of Russian-speaking residents, said Grigory Lukyantsev, director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Department for Multilateral Cooperation on Human Rights. “The Baltic states are openly preparing for the mass deportation of Russian-speaking residents, apparently рассчитывая in this way to finally resolve the ‘Russian question’ and the unprecedented problem of mass statelessness in their territories, especially for the 21st century,” Lukyantsev said at the presentation of a report on the human rights situation in certain countries.

Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry said it intended to appeal to the International Court of Justice over the “systematic infringement” of the rights of ethnic Russians in Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. The ministry noted that the Baltic authorities “ban” the use of the Russian language, “rewrite history,” and pursue a “punitive policy of repression and intimidation.” “All attempts to settle disagreements through negotiations have proved fruitless. In this regard, we will obviously have to move our claims into the judicial arena,” a Foreign Ministry representative said.

Earlier, the State Duma also accused the Baltic states of violating their promise to ensure fair living conditions for the Russian population after leaving the USSR. Konstantin Zatulin, deputy chairman of the lower house committee on CIS affairs and relations with compatriots, noted that from the very beginning the independent republics introduced the concept of “non-citizens.” According to his estimates, people with this status make up 30% of Estonia’s population and 40% of Latvia’s.

At the end of May, Vladimir Putin signed a law allowing him to use troops to “protect Russian citizens” in the event of “their arrest, detention, criminal or other prosecution” abroad. The corresponding amendments were made to the federal laws “On Citizenship” and “On Defense.” The Russian authorities decided to expand Putin’s powers to use the military abroad after a series of warnings from leading NATO states that the Kremlin was preparing for war with one or more European countries.

In particular, the head of Germany’s BND intelligence service warned of the risk of a Russian provocation in the Baltic states following the Crimea annexation scenario, while Danish intelligence said that Russia could start a large-scale war in Europe within five years. In March 2026, U.S. intelligence warned that Putin could resort to a “deliberate escalation” of the conflict in Ukraine, up to a direct clash with NATO, including the threat of using nuclear weapons.

According to analysts at the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Russia is in the “zero phase” of preparations for a conflict with the North Atlantic Alliance: military districts are being reorganized, bases are being created on the border with Finland, and Europe is seeing acts of sabotage, GPS jamming, and other incidents.