Panic in the Baltic
After the end of the Cold War, the Baltic was viewed almost as a quiet backwater. A nice place to visit to see charming Hanseatic cities and sandy beaches. But since the war in Ukraine the Baltic sea, bordered by eight European Union countries as well as Russia, has become a hot spot of world geopolitics. And tensions are high.
Type (Documentaire / Documentaire fiction / Série documentaire)Documentary Genre en anglaisGeopoliticalWritten and directed byFrédérique Compain - Benoît LabordeEditingFlorence BressonCinematographyNathanaël LouvetSoundNicolas Samarine, Pirkko TiitinenOriginal score Siegfried CantoNarrationDamien BoisseauIn association with RTS, Radio-Canada, Al Jazeera Media NetworkSupported by CNC, Procirep, Angoa-AgicoaBroadcasted by ARTE FranceDistributed by Artline Films, ARTE France Distribution Year2022Duration52
On Feburary 24, the Russian Federation launched a “special military operation” in Ukraine. In Paris, London, and Berlin, the entry of the Russian army into Ukrainian territory marked the end of about thirty years of relative complacency. The “Putin method” stunned all European countries.
All of them? Not quite. Around the Baltic Sea, the events of 2022 confirmed long-held fears since the war in Georgia and the annexation of Crimea. The former Soviet republics of Eastern and Northern Europe had been trying for years to alert Western capitals. Poles, Balts, Finns, and, to a lesser extent, Scandinavians are now on the front line against Russia, all massively rearming. So much so that Sweden and Finland, traditionally “non-aligned,” have applied for NATO membership
But why has there been such a resurgence of tensions so far from Kyiv and Mariupol? What old fault lines does the Ukrainian conflict reignite here in Northern Europe? Is this truly a sharp break or just a new stage in an already well-advanced process? Previously seen as a peaceful European lake, the Baltic Sea is now becoming the new theater of confrontation between Europe and Russia, drawing the attention of all the major global powers. This film seeks to understand and explain the resonance of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in this “Northern Mediterranean” of Europe.
Press coverage
An enlightening documentary about a largely overlooked European region.
L'Obs
Frédéric Compain and Benoît Laborde highlight the strategic importance of this region and the tensions surrounding it.
Le Monde
This documentary acts like a seismograph, capturing tremors with unpredictable aftershocks.
Télérama
The role of Finland, the status of Russian-speaking populations, energy issues… all these themes are explored in this excellent documentary.
La Vie