What about Putin?

In the last few year we've seen a growing amount of tension between Russia and other states, not in the least the U.S.A. It is not my intention to give any opinion on who is to blame for this, but this tension in itself forces me to ask the question: Will I be safe here in the long run?

I assume that, strategically speaking, Russia will be interested in having access to the Baltic Sea, that Latvia offers. A submarine could possibly find a route underneath the receding icecaps of the North Pole, to start a journey to any part of the word.

An coming from the Netherlands, I am well aware that it can be extremely easy to invade a small country with no army to speak of, even if this country aspires to remain 'neutral' in an international conflict. During the second world war Holland was conquered within one week, and only because our strategic geological location; to fight England, it was better for Germany to possess Holland.

So I personally feel some tension too. And from what I know of Russia, I fear that my civil rights will not necessarily protect me when Russia takes over. So what could be a solution?

In my view, the 'burned earth' tactic could provide some protection: if the Baltic Sea would become useless in a strategic sense, there would be no need to invade Latvia. (On the other hand, it wouldn't be that much of a trouble either) I propose a large 'fleet' of sea drones: small unmanned floating vehicles, laying dormant in the sea. Its only purpose, when activated, would be to cling to any metal object and reveal its position. It would therefore be impossible to use invisible, undetectable submarines in the Baltic sea.

It could be a nice challenge for Latvian entrepreneurs to build those sea drones. They should be able to stay energised for a long period of time, perhaps drawing energy from the water currents. They should be cheap enough for a small country to buy a few million of them for a reasonable price. And it would be a tremendous export product.