Three thorns in Russian flesh | Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia 2/2 # 2024

Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, the three "Baltic Tigers" freed themselves from Soviet rule over 30 years ago. How do people live there today? What motivates them?

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have been EU members since 2004. Economically top, politically firmly connected to the West, but with a significant Russian minority. A documentary about the history, identity and present of the three Baltic states.

As a result of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, the three Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are once again in the focus of world politics and will probably play a key role in the conflict with Russia in Europe's near future.

Over 30 years ago, today's "Three Tiger States" were the first to free themselves from Soviet rule and have been members of both the EU and NATO since 2004.

The three Baltic states are developing rapidly economically, and they are leaders in Europe, especially in the digital sector.

For centuries, Scandinavian, German and Russian rule dominated this northern part of Europe. Even today, the three Baltic states are often only perceived as former Russian zones of influence.

But the people from Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia insist on their own identity and feel like an integral part of modern Europe. Where do they come from, how do they live today, what is their history and what are the differences between them?

Director Alfred Schwarz explores these questions in his documentary. Using archive footage, interviewing historians, politicians, artists and people from different social classes, to create a portrait of these Baltic countries, which explains and depicts today's reality of life there.