Baltic states. What you need to know before traveling to the Baltics
Despite the outward similarity of the Baltic countries in political, social and cultural terms, there are many historically determined differences between them.
Lithuanians and Latvians speak languages of a special Baltic (Letto-Lithuanian) group of Indo-European language family. Estonian belongs to the Finnish group of the Ural (Finno-Ugric) family. The closest relatives of Estonians, in terms of origin and language, are the Finns, Karelians, Komi, Mordvins, and Mari.
The Lithuanians are the only one of the Baltic peoples who in the past had experience not only in creating their own state, but also in building a great power. The heyday of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania fell on the XIV-XV centuries, when its possessions stretched from the Baltic to the Black Sea and included the main part of modern Belarusian and Ukrainian lands, as well as some Western Russian territories. The Old Russian language (or, as some researchers believe, the Belarusian-Ukrainian language that developed on its basis) was the state language in the principality for a long time. The residence of the great Lithuanian princes in the XIV-XV centuries. the city of Trakai, located among the lakes, often served, then the role of the capital was finally assigned to Vilnius. In the 16th century, Lithuania and Poland concluded a union between themselves, forming a single state - the Commonwealth ("republic").
In the new state, the Polish element turned out to be stronger than the Lithuanian one. Yielding to Lithuania in terms of the size of its possessions, Poland was a more developed and populous country. Unlike the Lithuanian ones, the Polish rulers had a royal title received from the Pope. The nobility of the Grand Duchy adopted the language and customs of the Polish gentry and merged with it. The Lithuanian language remained mainly the language of the peasants. In addition, Lithuanian lands, especially the Vilnius region, were largely subjected to Polish colonization.
After the divisions of the Commonwealth, the territory of Lithuania in late XVIII centuries were part of Russian Empire. The population of these lands in this period did not separate their fate from their western neighbors and participated in all Polish uprisings. After one of them, Vilnius University was closed by the tsarist government in 1832 (founded in 1579, it was the oldest in the Russian Empire, it would be reopened only in 1919).
The lands of Latvia and Estonia in the Middle Ages were the object of expansion and colonization by Scandinavians and Germans. The coast of Estonia at one time belonged to Denmark. At the mouth of the Daugava River (Western Dvina) and other areas of the Latvian coast at the turn of the 13th century, German knightly orders settled - the Teutonic Order and the Order of the Sword. In 1237 they united into the Livonian Order, which dominated most of the Latvian and Estonian lands until the middle of the 16th century. During this period, the German colonization of the region was going on, the German nobility was formed. The population of the cities also mainly consisted of German merchants and artisans. Many of these cities, including Riga, were part of the Hanseatic League.
V Livonian War 1556-1583, the order was defeated under active participation Russia, which, however, in the course of further hostilities failed to secure these lands for itself at that time. The possessions of the order were divided between Sweden and the Commonwealth. In the future, Sweden, turning into a great European power, was able to push Poland.
Peter I conquered Estonia and Livonia from Sweden and included them in Russia following the results of the Northern War. The local German nobility, dissatisfied with the policy of "reduction" pursued by the Swedes (confiscation of estates into state property), for the most part willingly swore allegiance and went over to the service of the Russian sovereign.
In the context of the confrontation between Sweden, Poland and Russia in the Baltics, the Grand Duchy of Courland, which occupied the western and southern part of modern Latvia (Kurzeme), actually acquired an independent status. In the middle - second half of the 17th century (under Duke Jacob) it experienced its heyday, turning, in particular, into a major maritime power. The duchy at that time even acquired its own overseas colonies - the island of Tobago in the Caribbean Sea and the island of St. Andrew at the mouth of the Gambia River on the African continent. In the first third of the 18th century, the niece of Peter I Anna Ioannovna became the ruler of Courland, who later received the Russian throne. The entry of Courland into the Russian Empire was officially formalized at the end of the 18th century after the divisions of the Commonwealth. The history of the Duchy of Courland is sometimes regarded as one of the roots of Latvian statehood. However, during its existence, the duchy was considered a German state.
The Germans in the Baltic lands were not only the basis of the nobility, but also the majority of the inhabitants of the cities. The Latvian and Estonian population was almost exclusively peasant. The situation began to change in the middle of the 19th century with the development of industry in Livonia and Estonia, in particular with the transformation of Riga into one of the largest industrial centers of the empire.
At the turn of the 19th-20th centuries, national movements were formed in the Baltic States, putting forward the slogan of self-determination. Under the conditions of the First World War and the revolution that began in Russia, opportunities were created for its practical implementation. Attempts to proclaim Soviet power in the Baltics were suppressed by both internal and external forces, although the socialist movement in this region was very powerful. Supporters Soviet power parts of the Latvian riflemen (which were formed by the tsarist government to fight the Germans) played a very important role in the years civil war.
As a result of the events of 1918-20. the independence of the three Baltic states was proclaimed, at the same time, for the first time, the modern configuration of their borders took shape (however, Vilnius, the original capital of Lithuania and the area adjacent to it, were captured by Poland in 1920). In the 1920s and 1930s, dictatorial political regimes of an authoritarian type were established in the Baltic republics. The socio-economic situation of the three new states was unstable, which led, in particular, to significant labor migration to Western countries.
Baltic States: descriptions for travelers and reviews of tourists. Resorts and hotels, maps and sights of the Baltic. Tours and trips to the Baltics.
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Ancient Terra Mariana, "seaside land", the modern Baltics are pines and sand, drops of amber on deserted beaches, rebellious waves of the Baltic Sea, a measured rhythm of life and carefully preserved folk traditions.
An impressive number of medical resorts, combined with a mild climate, where summers are not too hot and winters are moderately cold, provides the Baltic States with a stable flow of tourists throughout the year: treatment prices here are much lower than, say, Karlovy Vary, but the result is no worse. In addition, there are a lot of historical sights, interesting museums, delicious National dishes and the unfailing hospitality of the locals.
Baltic tourism is a real long-liver in the Russian tourist market: there is no time to go to "almost real" Europe - with Catholic cathedrals, developed infrastructure and such a view of life detached from socialist pseudo-seriousness - was considered happiness by any Soviet employee. Times have changed, but the feeling of belonging to the elite has remained with the Baltics to this day.
Today, tourism in the Baltics is, first of all, "excursion", treatment and "vegetative" rest without the resort noise and din, but surrounded by virgin nature and healing coniferous air. Riga, Vilnius, Tallinn and ancient Koenigsberg hide a lot of interesting sights. The old city of Riga seems to have descended from a medieval engraving (by the way, the Latvian capital is one of the few European cities that have completely preserved its historical appearance) - narrow cobbled streets, puppet town halls and cathedrals, mysterious lanes and mystical cellars of old houses. Lithuania has prepared baroque monuments of Vilnius and Kaunas for attentive tourists, Estonia will surprise with Gothic churches and cathedrals, the ruins of monasteries and castles of the Teutonic Knights, and good old and very dear Kaliningrad will dedicate the secrets of the life of Immanuel Kant and tell about the glorious history of the Russian fleet.
Inexpensive and high-quality treatment is another reason for the tourist interest in the Baltics. For those who only need to “tighten the screws” a little - relax after a year of work, lose weight, freshen up and prettier - a direct road to Jurmala. For peace of mind, there are magnificent beaches with wonderful white quartz sand, mineral springs "for drinking and lying", therapeutic mud, and among other things - the largest water park in Europe and the annual music Festival(and what, if not music, contributes to one hundred percent satisfaction with life!). We advise fans of solitude and meditation to pay attention to the islands of Estonia: in addition to the popular Saaremaa, there are more than a thousand uninhabited islands, where even the most materialistically minded people will certainly fall under the spell of silence, nature and the alchemy of life.
Finally, for those who want to take a walk along the Baltic coast in a wet and quiet autumn, picking up perfectly polished amber fragments, and at the same time not to move away from their homeland, we recommend going to the Kaliningrad region - the westernmost region of our vast region. Marveling at the pine trees on the Curonian Spit, forever bowed in bizarre bows, you will certainly exhale here: “How beautiful Russia is!”
More recently, Russia and the Baltic countries were part of the same state. Now everyone follows their own historical path. Nevertheless, we are concerned about the economic, political and social realities of neighboring states. Let's figure out which countries are part of the Baltics, learn about their population, history, and also follow their path to independence.
Baltic countries: list
Some of our fellow citizens have a reasonable question: “The Baltics are what countries?” To some, this question may seem silly, but in fact, not everything is so simple.
When the Baltic countries are mentioned, they primarily mean Latvia with its capital in Riga, Lithuania with its capital in Vilnius and Estonia with its capital in Tallinn. That is, post-Soviet public entities located on the east coast of the Baltic. Many other states (Russia, Poland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland) also have access to the Baltic Sea, but they are not included in the Baltic countries. But sometimes the Kaliningrad region belongs to this region Russian Federation.
Where is the Baltic located?
Which Baltic countries and their adjacent territories are located on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea. The area of the largest of them - Lithuania is 65.3 thousand km². Estonia has the smallest territory - 45.2 thousand square meters. km. The area of Latvia is 64.6 thousand km².
All Baltic countries have a land border with the Russian Federation. In addition, Lithuania neighbors Poland and Belarus, with which Latvia also borders, and Estonia has a maritime border with Finland.
The Baltic countries are located from north to south in this order: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania. Moreover, Latvia has a border with two other states, but they do not adjoin each other.
Population of the Baltics
Now let's find out what categories the population of the Baltic countries consists of according to various demographic characteristics.
First of all, let's find out the number of inhabitants who inhabit the states, the list of which is presented below:
- Lithuania - 2.9 million people;
- Latvia - 2.0 million people;
- Estonia - 1.3 million people
Thus, we see that Lithuania has the largest population, and Estonia has the smallest.
With the help of simple mathematical calculations, comparing the area of the territory and the number of inhabitants of these countries, we can conclude that Lithuania has the highest population density, and Latvia and Estonia are approximately equal in this indicator, with a slight advantage of Latvia.
The titular and largest nationalities in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are, respectively, Lithuanians, Latvians and Estonians. The first two ethnic groups belong to the Baltic group of the Indo-European language family, and the Estonians belong to the Baltic-Finnish group of the Finno-Ugric language tree. The most numerous national minority in Latvia and Estonia are Russians. In Lithuania, they occupy the second largest place after the Poles.
History of the Baltics
Since ancient times, the Baltics have been inhabited by various Baltic and Finno-Ugric tribes: Aukshtaits, Zheimats, Latgalians, Curonians, Livs, Ests. In the struggle with neighboring countries, only Lithuania managed to formalize its own statehood, which later, on the terms of the union, became part of the Commonwealth. The ancestors of modern Latvians and Estonians immediately fell under the rule of the German Livonian Order of the Crusader Knights, and then, the territory in which they lived, as a result of the Livonian and Northern Wars, was divided between the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Denmark, Sweden and the Commonwealth. In addition, a vassal duchy, Courland, was formed from part of the former order lands, which existed until 1795. The ruling class here was the German nobility. By that time, the Baltic states were almost completely part of the Russian Empire.
All lands were divided into Livonia, Courland and Estlyad provinces. The province of Vilna stood apart, populated mainly by Slavs and having no access to the Baltic Sea.
After the death of the Russian Empire, as a result of the February and October uprisings of 1917, the Baltic countries also gained independence. The list of events that preceded this result is too long to enumerate, and it will be superfluous for our review. The main thing to understand is that during the years 1918-1920 independent states were organized - the Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian republics. They ceased to exist in 1939-1940, when they were annexed to the USSR as Soviet republics as a result of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. This is how the Lithuanian SSR, the Latvian SSR and the Estonian SSR were formed. Until the beginning of the 1990s, these state formations were part of the USSR, but among certain circles of the intelligentsia there was a constant hope for independence.
Declaration of Independence of Estonia
Now let's talk about a period of history closer to us, namely, about that period of time when the independence of the Baltic countries was proclaimed.
Estonia was the first to take the path of secession from the USSR. Active protests against the Soviet central government began in 1987. Already in November 1988, the Supreme Council of the ESSR issued the first Declaration of Sovereignty among the Soviet republics. This event did not yet mean secession from the USSR, but this act proclaimed the priority of republican laws over all-Union laws. It was Estonia that launched the phenomenon, which later became known as the “parade of sovereignties”.
At the end of March 1990, the law "On the state status of Estonia" was issued, and on May 8, 1990, its independence was declared, and the country returned to its old name - the Republic of Estonia. Lithuania and Latvia adopted similar acts even earlier.
In March 1991, a consultative referendum was held, in which the majority of citizens who voted voted for secession from the USSR. But in fact, independence was restored only with the beginning of the August coup - August 20, 1991. It was then that the resolution on the independence of Estonia was adopted. In September, the government of the USSR officially recognized the branch, and on the 17th of the same month, the Republic of Estonia became a full member of the UN. Thus, the independence of the country was fully restored.
Formation of independence of Lithuania
The initiator of the restoration of independence of Lithuania was the public organization "Sąjūdis", founded in 1988. On May 26, 1989, the Supreme Council of the Lithuanian SSR proclaimed the act "On the State Sovereignty of Lithuania". This meant that in the event of a conflict between republican and all-Union legislation, priority was given to the former. Lithuania became the second republic of the USSR to pick up the baton from Estonia in the “parade of sovereignties”.
Already in March 1990, an act was adopted to restore the independence of Lithuania, which became the first Soviet republic to declare its withdrawal from the Union. From that moment on, it became officially known as the Republic of Lithuania.
Naturally, the central authorities of the Soviet Union recognized this act as invalid and demanded its cancellation. With the help of individual units of the army, the government of the USSR tried to regain control over the republic. In its actions, it also relied on those who disagreed with the policy of secession of citizens within Lithuania itself. An armed confrontation began, during which 15 people were killed. But the army did not dare to attack the parliament building.
After the August coup in September 1991, the USSR fully recognized the independence of Lithuania, and on September 17 it became part of the UN.
Independence of Latvia
In the Latvian SSR, the movement for independence was initiated by the Popular Front of Latvia organization, which was established in 1988. On July 29, 1989, the Supreme Soviet of the Republic, following the parliaments of Estonia and Lithuania, proclaimed the third Declaration of Sovereignty in the USSR.
At the very beginning of May 1990, the Republican Armed Forces adopted the Declaration on the Restoration of State Independence. That is, in fact, Latvia, following Lithuania, announced its withdrawal from the USSR. But in reality it happened only a year and a half later. On May 3, 1991, a referendum-type poll was held, in which the majority of respondents voted for the independence of the republic. During the coup of the GKChP on August 21, 1991, Latvia actually managed to achieve independence. On September 6, 1991, she, like the rest of the countries that make up the Baltic states, was recognized by the Soviet government as independent.
The period of independence of the Baltic countries
After the restoration of their state independence, all the Baltic countries chose a Western course of economic and political development. At the same time, the Soviet past in these states was constantly condemned, and relations with the Russian Federation remained quite tense. The Russian population of these countries is limited in rights.
In 2004, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia were admitted to the European Union and the NATO military-political bloc.
Economy of the Baltic countries
At the moment, the Baltic countries have the highest standard of living among all post-Soviet states. Moreover, this happens despite the fact that a significant part of the infrastructure left after the Soviet era was destroyed or stopped functioning for other reasons, and after the global economic crisis of 2008, the economy of the Baltic countries is going through hard times.
Most high level life of the population among the Baltic countries in Estonia, and the smallest - in Latvia.
Differences between the Baltic countries
Despite the territorial proximity and common history, one should not forget that the Baltic countries are separate states with their own national characteristics.
For example, in Lithuania, unlike other Baltic states, there is a very large Polish community, which is second in number only to the titular nation, but in Estonia and Latvia, on the contrary, Russians predominate among national minorities. In addition, all persons residing on its territory at the time of independence received citizenship in Lithuania. But in Latvia and Estonia, only the descendants of those people who lived in the republics before joining the USSR had such a right.
In addition, it should be said that Estonia, unlike other Baltic countries, is quite strongly oriented towards the Scandinavian states.
General conclusions
All those who carefully read this material will no longer ask: "The Baltics - what countries are these?" These are states that had a rather complicated history filled with struggle for independence and national identity. Naturally, this could not but leave its mark on the peoples of the Baltics themselves. It was this struggle that had a key influence on the current political choice of the Baltic states, as well as on the mentality of the peoples who inhabit them.
We study the Baltic countries and their capitals on the map (list) - which are part of the Baltic region. Below is a map of the Baltic republics + capital, alphabetical list, land and sea borders, flags and continents, in English and Russian
Presentation with flags for children and adults: the capitals of the 3 Baltic republics. Possibility to sort the table alphabetically, select the necessary neighboring countries around and their capitals, friendly and unfriendly. Go to detailed map in Russian, look around the city, show the border areas nearby, find and write out the names. How many adjacent neighboring states of the 1st and 2nd order, their location in the region, as indicated. See on the diagram with whom they are neighbors and places nearby, where the nearest city on the border is located. List the names of the continents and parts of the world surrounding the seas and oceans. Find out the number of letters in the name and what it starts with
Full list - which countries are part of the Baltic region + capital:
- Lithuania, Vilnius
- Latvia, Riga
- Estonia, Tallinn
In English:
| The country | Select country Latvia Lithuania Estonia | Russian version: |
Baltic countries on the map + capitals
The table is alphabetical, it contains all the Baltic states (Pribaltika), which are united by location and territory, which have common borders. Both land / land and sea / sea. The above republican entities are geographically located on the coast of the Baltic Sea, in the northern part of the European continent. Formerly part of the former USSR
The Baltic states joined the USSR
Since 2004, all three powers have been and
The Russian city of Kaliningrad (Königsberg until 1946) is the center of the Kaliningrad region of the Russian Federation. Located between Lithuania and Poland on the banks of the Pregolya River (Kaliningrad Bay of the Baltic Sea)
According to the list of 3 states in the Baltic region and a detailed geographical map of their location in the world for 2020, for clarification, switch to the "MAP" or "SATELLITE" view type. The nearest countries with territories around: western, eastern, northern, southern. Read more here
When the Baltic countries are mentioned, they primarily mean Latvia with its capital in Riga, Lithuania with its capital in Vilnius and Estonia with its capital in Tallinn.
That is, post-Soviet state formations located on the eastern coast of the Baltic. Many other states (Russia, Poland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland) also have access to the Baltic Sea, but they are not included in the Baltic countries.
But sometimes the Kaliningrad region of the Russian Federation belongs to this region. Almost immediately, the economies of the Baltic republics showed rapid growth.
For example, GDP (according to PPP) per capita from 1993 to 2008 there grew 3.6 times, reaching $18 thousand in Latvia, $19.5 thousand in Lithuania, and $22 thousand in Estonia. in Russia it only doubled and amounted to $21.6 thousand. On this basis, the ruling elites of the Baltic States, imitating Japan and South Korea, proudly began to call themselves the Baltic economic tigers. Like, give me a deadline, just a few more years, and then we will show everyone who fed whom in the Soviet Union.
Seven years have passed since then, but for some reason the miracle did not happen. And where could he have come from if the entire economy of these republics continued to exist exclusively on Russian commodity and raw material transit? Everyone remembers the indignation of the Poles about the unnecessary apples and the Finns with their suddenly overstocked dairy industry. Against this background, the problems of Lithuania, which supplied Russia with 76.13% of its own vegetables and 67.89% of fruits, did not seem so significant. Taken together, they provided only 2.68% of the country's total exports. And even the fact that Russia bought up to half (46.3%) of Lithuanian industrial products also looked pale in view of the insignificance of the total volume of its output in Lithuania, in pieces, in tons, in money. As, however, in Latvia and Estonia too.
Own production in the post-Soviet period was not strong point none of the Baltic "tigers". In reality, they lived, as they say, not from industry, but from the road. After separating from the USSR, they got the ports for nothing, through which the cargo turnover of about 100 million tons passed, for the transshipment of which Russia paid up to $1 billion annually, which was equal to 4.25% of the total GDP of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia in 1998.
As the Russian economy recovered, Russian exports also grew, and with it the volume of transshipment in the Baltic ports increased. At the end of 2014, this figure reached 144.8 million tons, including: the port of Riga - 41.1 million tons; Klaipeda - 36.4 million tons; Tallinn - 28.3 million tons; Ventspils - 26.2 million tons. Only one Russian liberal "Kuzbassrazrezugol" shipped more than 4.5 million tons of coal per year to its customers through the Baltic states.
The picture with the Baltic monopoly on oil transportation is especially indicative. Soviet Union At one time, he built Ventspils, a powerful oil loading terminal on the coast at that time, and extended the only transport pipeline in the region there. When “gaining independence”, all this economy went to Latvia for free.
So in the 1990s, she received a pipe through which the former "occupier" pumped more than 30 million tons of oil and oil products per year. Considering that logistics cost about $0.7 per barrel, and 7.33 barrels per ton, then, according to the most conservative estimates, Latvians earned $153.93 million every year. growth of Russian oil exports.
While Russian liberals were slandering the country for its too resource-based structure of the economy, by 2009 the total volume of foreign deliveries of Russian oil reached 246 million tons, of which 140 million tons passed through the Baltic ports a year. In "transport money" this is more than $ 1.14 billion. Of course, the Latvians did not get all of them, part of the cargo turnover went through St. Petersburg and the ports of the Leningrad region, but the Balts greatly hampered their development by all available means. Apparently, it is not necessary to specifically explain why.
Second important source"travel money" for the Baltic ports was the transshipment of sea containers (TEU). Even now, when St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad and Ust-Luga are included in active work, Latvia (Riga, Liepaja, Ventspils) accounts for 7.1% of our container turnover (392.7 thousand TEU), Lithuania (Klaipeda) - 6.5% (359.4 thousand TEU), Estonia (Tallinn) - 3.8% (208.8 thousand TEU). In total, these limitrophes take from $180 to $230 for transshipment of one TEU, which brings them about $177.7 million per year for the three of them. Moreover, these figures reflect the situation for 2014. Ten years ago, the share of the Balts in container logistics was about three times higher.
In addition to oil, coal and containers by the Baltic Sea, Russia transports mineral fertilizers, of which more than 1.71 million tons were shipped through Riga in 2014 alone, and other chemicals, such as liquid ammonia, 1 million tons of which were pumped by the port Ventspils. Up to 5 million tons of fertilizers were loaded onto ships in Tallinn. In general, it can be said with certainty that until 2004, about 90% of all Russian "sea" exports passed through the Baltic states, providing the "tigers" with at least 18-19% of their total GDP. To this, rail transit should be added. For example, in 2006, Estonia alone received an average of 32.4 trains from Russia per day, which alone brought about $117 million annually to the port of Tallinn!
Thus, for twenty years, in general, for a circle, only due to their transit position "on the road", by the way, built by the "Soviet occupiers", Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia received up to 30% of their GDP.
They very actively shouted at Russia and in every possible way provoked the growth of the conflict base between Russia and the US-EU. They allowed themselves to humiliate and destroy the Russian-speaking population of their countries, assuming that they would never have to answer for this. By the way, many people think so. And they are wrong. No matter how.
At the same time, they still had jobs, tax revenues and the opportunity to boast of extremely high rates of their own economic growth, at least one and a half times ahead of Russian ones. Moreover, this did not in the least prevent the Balts from declaring an incredibly huge Russian debt to them for the “destructive” Soviet occupation. It seemed to them that there simply was no alternative and, therefore, this anti-Russian freebie at the Russian expense (!) would last forever.
Building a new port like Riga from scratch costs about four years of Latvian GDP. I specifically emphasize that for four years the whole country, from babies to decrepit old people, must not drink, not eat, not spend a penny on anything else, just work together to build a port. The improbability of such a scenario made the Baltic geopolitical moseks convinced of their absolute impunity. Allowing both to claim Russian money and actively participate in the anti-Russian political and economic bacchanalia, and in some places even act as its initiator.
Is it any wonder that in Russia such a state of affairs - the loud barking of small geopolitical dwarfs - did not cause understanding? Another thing is that the result, because of which the Estonian government delegation recently urgently rushed to Russia to “negotiate”, did not arise yesterday and is not a consequence of Russian retaliatory food sanctions.
Even the formal reason - the Russian notification of the transition from 12 to 6 train pairs in rail transport with Estonia - is just the final point of the party, which began on June 15, 2000, when the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation began to implement the project to build a port in Ust-Luga. Although it would be more correct to speak of a whole program that provided for the accelerated development of all Russian ports in the Baltic. Thanks to it, the cargo turnover of Ust-Luga increased from 0.8 million tons in 2004 to 10.3 million tons in 2009 and 87.9 million tons in 2015. And by the end of 2014, Russian ports 9% of the total container turnover in the Baltic, and this figure continues to grow very rapidly.
Gradually improving the port economy and developing its own transport infrastructure, Russia today has come to the conclusion that we can provide more than 1/3 of containers, ¾ of gas exports, 2/3 of oil exports, 67% of coal and other bulk cargo exports on our own. This is to the popular question among liberals that "in this backward gas station country, nothing really has been built in ten years."
As it turned out, it was built. And so much so that the need for a Baltic transit transport corridor has practically disappeared. For rail transportation - five times. For containers - at four. In terms of general cargo - three. In 2015 alone, the transportation of oil and oil products through neighboring ports fell by 20.9%, coal - by 36%, even mineral fertilizers - by 3.4%, although according to this indicator they still retain a high degree monopolization. Nevertheless, by and large, everything - the freebie is over. Now Russophobes can walk on their own.
The sharp decline in the cargo turnover of the Baltic ports in the first quarter of 2016 (for example, in Riga - by 13.8%, in Tallinn - by 16.3%) plays the role of the last straw that can break the camel's back. Actually, Estonia started to fuss because it suddenly realized that by the end of this year, about 6,000 people could be out of work in the port of Tallinn. And even up to 1.2 thousand will have to be cut on the railway, of which at least 500 people - in the next 2-3 months.
Moreover, the fall in freight traffic is finally derailing the entire economy. railways both Estonia itself and neighboring Lithuania and Latvia. They become totally unprofitable both in the cargo and passenger segments.
For a country with just over 500,000 employees, of which 372,000 are employed in the service sector, this is not just a sad prospect, but the collapse of the entire economy. So they ran to appease, buy and atone for sins in all sorts of other ways. But, as they say, the train has left. Having made an unconditional stake on the EU and the USA, a stake on the destruction and humiliation of the Baltic Russians, a stake on the humiliation of Russia, the Baltic ruling elites made a strategic mistake that can no longer be corrected. We will remember this for a long time.
Despite all the political collisions, the life of the Baltic economy throughout the post-Soviet years was provided only thanks to one thing - trade relations with Russia. And Russia endured for a long time, urged, admonished, persuaded the Baltic elite, receiving only spit in response. Our Russian imperial approach seemed to them a weakness. For a decade and a half, the Baltic "tigers" did everything to destroy this interest. Finally, they can be congratulated - they have achieved their goal.
In the next year and a half, we can expect a final and progressive decline in trade, after which the Baltic economy will go down in a copper basin and return to what it was two hundred years ago - and become a deaf, poor, impoverished and useless land. Moreover, they look equally unpromising from Brussels, from Moscow, and from Washington.
At the same time, you can bet that both American tanks and NATO fighters will evaporate from there, since there will also be no need to defend these backwoods. Therefore, they will most likely be expelled from NATO in the next five years as well. There will be no miracle. The freebie is over. Russia will not forgive and will not forget the mockery that geopolitical mongrels allowed themselves against Russia and Russians.
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