THE BALTIC FRONTLINE | DANCING WITH THE RUSSIAN BEAR

Episode 4 takes viewers to the new epicenter of Europe’s security crisis: the Baltic region. In Finland — NATO’s newest frontline state — Pisarska witnesses a society that has lived for decades with Russia next door and has prepared accordingly. From suspected sabotage of undersea cables to Russia’s shadow oil fleet and the militarization of the Baltic Sea, hybrid conflict now defines the region. Pisarska meets villagers on the Finnish-Russian border who still live with trauma from earlier wars. She joins Finnish civilian-soldiers training to repel a potential invasion, explores nuclear-proof shelters beneath Helsinki, and boards a NATO AWACS aircraft monitoring Russian activity in real time. The episode then shifts to Estonia, where former President Toomas Ilves recounts the long struggle to join NATO — and the persistent fear of abandonment by the West. In Berlin, Pisarska confronts German leaders and analysts about decades of political and business entanglement with Russia, culminating in the Nord Stream pipelines and a strategic blindness that cost Europe dearly. "Dancing with the Russian Bear" exposes the years of Western misjudgment that led to the return of war in Europe. Hosted by security expert Katarzyna Pisarska, this series amplifies the often-unheard voices of Central and Eastern Europe. As the continent faces its biggest security crisis in decades, discover how Poland and its neighbors are leading the charge to restore stability and answer the Russian threat. The episode features – in order of appearance: Rob Bauer - Chair of the NATO Military Committee (2021-2025) Donald Tusk - Prime Minister of Poland Joschka Fischer - Vice-Chancellor of Germany (1998-2005) Christoph Heusgen - Foreign Policy Advisor to Angela Merkel (2005-2017) Andrii Sybiha - Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Toomas Ilves - President of Estonia (2006-2016) Philippe Lavigne - General NATO Supreme Allied Commander Transformation HQ (2021-2024) Phila Saravirta - Finnish Journalist Claudia Major - German Marshal Fund of the USA Roderich Kiesewatter - Member of the Bundestag, CDU Dalia Grybauskaite - President of the Republic of Lithuania (2009-2019) 00:00 Intro 03:11 The Baltic Sea: Russia’s Strategic Corridor 06:56 BALTOPS Military Exercise 07:33 Life on the Russian Border (Finland) 10:12 Finland’s History with Russia 13:38 Finland’s Voluntary Defense Training 19:35 Missiles and Drones – The Most Dangerous Weapons 21:56 Civil Defense Shelters in Helsinki 25:01 How Finland Prepares for War 26:40 Europa Park – Commemorating Estonia’s Accession to NATO and the EU 30:50 West vs. East – Different Approaches to Russia 32:03 Germany, Nord Stream, and Strategic Mistakes 40:42 The Destruction of Nord Stream 2 41:47 Insights from the Warsaw Security Forum 44:37 NATO Presence on the Eastern Flank 49:38 The Future of Europe #baltic #security #nato #finland #PoliticalDocumentary #WarDocumentary #RussiaUkraineWar #NATO #Putin #EuropeanSecurity #Ukraine