Occupation of The Baltic States - Aftermath

Aftermath

According to Yaël Ronen, of the Minerva Center for Human Rights at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, illegal regimes typically take measures to change the demographic structure of the territory held by the regime, usually via two methods: the forced removal of the local population and transfer their own populations into the territory. He cites the case of the Baltic states as an example of where this phenomenon has occurred, with the deportations of 1949 combined with large waves of immigration in 1945-50 and 1961-70. When the illegal regime transitioned to a lawful regime in 1991, the status of these settlers become an issue.

In the years following the reestablishment of Baltic independence, tensions have remained between indigenous Balts and Russian speaking settlers in Estonia and Latvia. While requirements for getting citizenship in the Baltic states are relatively liberal, a lack of attention to the rights of Russian-speaking and stateless individuals in the Baltic states has been noted by some experts, whereas all international organisations agree that no forms of systematic discrimination towards the Russian-speaking and often stateless population can be observed. In addition, Baltic citizens have used the occupation as grounds for financial compensation from Russia, Andrei Tsygankov indicating: "Baltic elites have become open and specific about the sums of money they expect in return for their 'occupation' - ranging from $24 to $100 billion." Nevertheless, Tsygankov does describe the post-WWII Soviet presence as imposing "fifty years of colonial status" upon the Baltic states.