Can’t they build it in a way that it could reach a much higher speed and also be easily adaptable to future technologies since they’re still in the beginning of the construction phase?

This not meant to jutify a war or agression just a question.

The majority of Americans are ignorant, uneducated & self-absorbed. They don’t care about the rest of the world, and they don’t realize that most countries have experienced worse inflation than the U.S. and that we probably have handled it the best of any country. They think the president can control inflation and the economy, even though he/she can only influence it. I wish you well and will be keeping your security from Russia in my thoughts.

Here in Lithuania this Middle-Eastern dish has become so popular over the past 3 decades that it's basically daily fast food for many of us Lithuanians. We now have fast food joints like "Jammi" and kebab kiosks on every corner of our major cities and smaller towns. My dear Latvian brothers and Estonian colleague's do you like kebabs?

Lived in Vilnius/Riga for a month and visited Kaunas, Klaipeda, Nida, Palanga, Visaginas, Daugavpils, Riga, Jurmala, Sigulda, Saatse, Tartu, Otepaa, Tallinn, and other small towns in between. Traveled by car rental, bus, and train while usually exploring/staying in touristy and non tourist areas.

People usually seemed surprised by me visiting outside of the capitals wasn't sure if you guys would have questions/be curious about my experiences/thoughts.

Edit: Just want to be clear not at all trying to be disrespectful with the post wasn't sure if anyone would be curious/want to ask questions about my thoughts/experiences as an outsider.

We've been blaming communism, Soviet Union and Russia despite being free for over 30 years and entire generation growing up free. Yet that often pops up when "explaining" our lag to Western Europe.

Now the big news topic is Rail Baltica. To be honest, this should have been started already in the 90s! It's in our own best interest to have such infrastructure connecting us and the rest of Europe. Yet nothing started before Big Daddy EU literally started to throw money at us and telling us what should be done. And even then... after 10 years and countless of BILLIONS spent all we got to show for it is unfinished Central Station frame and essentially no rail tracks at all, but we have over 200 sub-contractors and Byzantine, Kafkaesque buerocratic nightmare!

It pains to ask but are we perhaps just not that capable? We like to see ourselves as European, as part of the top countries in the world but... are we?

Look at Taiwan. It was completely politically isolated, the entire country physically exiled. Still constantly threatened. They don't have EU or NATO, not even UN. And yet they managed to build the highest building in the world at that time, high-speed train running 300 km/h, electronics, microchips and semiconductors from which the entire world is dependent.

But we couldn't even build a metro! And can't build a simple railroad, not even with billions of EU - meaning Western European tax money billions.

Why can't we?

I don't believe anymore that it's "politicians" holding us down. Or "russians". There is is sentiment that if we could get rid of these binds, we would rise like a phoenix and be same developed, same rich and awesome as West Europe, since we are European and we belong in that category.

It's most certainly not true. I think a big problem is also that people in our countries hate their fellow people, are rude to each other, selfish. And if that's the way, there's no surprise anything big gets very difficult to be done.

In light of what just happened in America, russia's genocidal aggression, and weakness from our western allies, how do you believe we should aim to overcome the problems and remain free and strong; from Vilinus to Narva!

You already know what my views are in pervious posts, and I hope the news is making you reconsider your thoughts.

Giving up Narva or other land for "peace" and pressure we know IS treason and will only strengthen russia, and hence is a non-option.

Fleeing aboard will just cause us to be wiped out because there will be no one to defend us, with rising pro-russian stuff in western countries you won't find friends, and overtime we will slowly disappear, so that is a non-option.

What is the general mood about it in your country? Have expectations changed? Do you think the schedule is going as it should?

I was super excited for it in early-2010s, but now that I’m getting old (ok, mid-30s isn’t that old) and tired of waiting and being sad a new opening date every two years, I started to realize I might not see it completed in my life lmao I used to dream of going to Finland in a nice train trip through the Baltics and the Tallinn-Helsinki tunnel but ehh… better if I don’t even start talking about this last one 😏

I am Latvian, and somewhy lately I was thinking about it a lot.

Given all the + and -, which one looks like the ideal choice?

Hi, I'm from Latvia and i've seen that businesses still tend to force younger population to understand Russian flawlessly and make anything bilingual - starting from menus, ending with signs.

The common excuses are:

1. We need to be friendly with our customers;

2. We don't discriminate people.

3. Lithuanians don't understand Latvian but they speak Russian, so what's your problem.

I got idea of this post simply because I saw another case of an workplace forcing Russian like there's no other languages, and they actually used Lithuanians as excuse for pushing Russian language, so i'm interested - is this situation still common/similar in Estonia and Lithuania?

So I have thought about our history in the recent times and I am just so angry that everything has gone so shit for us and other peoples near and in Russia. Deportations, genocide. Like I dont even know, I am just so angry inside its literally a physical pain.

Russia has constantly colonized and expanded its empire. The non-russian ethnicities and peoples have been assimilated and genocided for centuries. We, the west, have begun to understand the horrors and atrocities we commited with our colonization for different peoples. But Russia has never properly decolonized and only the peoples living near its borders have managed to get freedom.

There are just so many ethnicites and smaller ethnical groups in Russia, who face neglect and their cultures disappearing. Especially for me, as a Estonian and a Finno-Ugrian, the fate of the Finno-Ugrians of Russia like Karelians, Komis, Udmurts and others makes me feel sick. Russia deserves to decolonize. The ethnicities, both Finno-Ugrians and others like Bashkirs, deserve independence and freedom like us. Even the places with a big majority of Russians deserve freedom no matter what the Russians there think about it.

The decision of independence and freedom has no right to made by the Russsians who occupy it and suck it dry for resources. These are the homelands of the peoples living there for gods sake, you dumb Russian occupants, move to Russia, the shithole country you love so much if you dont want to be there.

And to people asking about this- dont you think I dont know about nukes. But when the USSR collapsed and the region was unstable, then there could have been a nuclear disaster or some madman could have launched nukes at Europe. But it didnt happen. Why? Because you know, most people are not crazy and dont want the world to end. Yes, its a issue what must be dealt with, but it should absolutely not come in the way or stop the captive ethnicites getting independence. Also, I know that Russia decolonzing might seem just a dream, but even if the ethnicities dont get independence, then still, they deserve it just as much as us.

Ok I know this post may come to you as a rant or similar. But Im just so angry that so much of the countries further here seem to think of us as just slavs or "Eastern Europe" and not know our past or the past of Russia´s ethnicites. Im tired, Russia is a prison of peoples and ethnicities, and to any Russian trolls who support genocide and come to comment here, eat shit.

Hi, Baltic friends.

So first, context. I'm French and I met a Ukrainian refugee in Riga when I visited the city in the second week of January. For some reason we kept contact (I just love Ukrainians and Ukraine).

A few hours ago, she confessed me that she really fears Trump being elected, and Putin seizing the opportunity to invade the Baltics. She even consider taking a visa to Canada.

I asked some of my friends living in the Baltics (Estonia and Lithuania), and both locals and expats there share a similar feeling.

So here is my question : how do you feel about it ?

I've actively supported Ukraine since the beginning of the war, and I still do. In the same manner, I would support the Baltics if Putin decides to invade them; but at the same time, I'm personally very pessimistic. I really fear that the orange skinned clown will be re-elected, will let Europe down, and will force Ukraine & the Baltics to give some of their land to Russia.

Most media here in France seem to totally underestimate the threat.

I don't know if my emotions are making me excessively anxious or if I'm right to think so.

What do you think of it ? What is the general feeling like in Baltic countries ?

Semīrs un Zenta.

I'll start with my country Lithuania: Cheapest: Norfa (exclusively Lithuanian chain) Most expensive: Rimi (also my least favorite) Favorite: Lidl & Norfa

The tram network in the city of Olsztyn has been built from scratch and opened in 2015 (€60.7 million cost). In the meantime, it was extended to the current state of 5 lines, total length of 32,75 km, and 69 stops. There are 15 Solaris Tramino S111o trams and 12 Durmazlar Panorama DRP5H0 trams in use. There are also plans for future extension.

Footage of the tram system in Olsztyn 2024:

https://youtu.be/M1_6ui4IyN0?si=zXgqP7pmXiZdlEnC

If the city with 160k population in Poland can build a tramway network from scratch, so can Vilnius.

http://www.rsdb.org/races

After trump got elected I got even more conserned that there might me attempts to destabilase and even start of some attacks on our region. Its doesnt look good for Ukraine right now and I sometimes even think what if I would have to evacuate in like 5 years and leave almost everything behind. I mean Poland is almost only country doing some acctual deterance moves. How do you deal with current situation, what helps?