Fear and solidarity: How neighboring countries experience the Ukraine war

Fear and solidarity: How neighboring countries experience the Ukraine war

On Wednesday, March 19, 2025, the ORF will present two revealing reports in its “Weltjournal” series, which deal with the changes in the neighboring countries of Russia on the basis of the Ukraine War. Reporter Katya Adler leads the audience on a trip along the Finnish and Estonian border to Norway. In the first report, "door with Putin - Finland, Estonia, Norway", the historical fear and uncertainty are addressed, which prevails in the communities close to the border after the relationship with Russia is heavily burdened by the war. In shock and astonishment, the audience discovered that Finland is confronted with a border with Russia over 1,300 kilometers long, which was secured with more than 50,000 bunkers during the Cold War to grant protection to the entire population, such as ots.at reported.

In addition, the second report, "door at door with Putin - Poland, Lithuania, Latvia" is illuminated. Here Adler takes the audience into the affected regions, where people in Latvia, Lithuania and Poland are extremely unsettled by the geopolitical tensions. Almost a million Ukrainian refugees have found refuge in Poland since the beginning of the war, and many Polish families, such as those of Sabina Stankowska, actively offer support by taking refugees in their houses. At the same time, a Russian train that goes to Kaliningrad is equipped with GPS trackers in Lithuania to ensure that he does not stop unauthorized stops. These measures are intended to increase security and show how the political situation influences daily life in the neighboring countries of Russia, so orf.at .

inner tensions and cross -border policy

In Latvia, the situation is particularly tense, where the great Russian minority is increasingly isolated and the tensions between different ethnic groups have increased significantly. The conflict has also led to most Russians denied entry to Lithuania, which further complicated the social and political landscape. These human stories and the worrying developments at the borders are impressively documented in the reports and offer a deep insight into the current geopolitical challenges in the region.