Two People Hidden in Car to Helsinki — RIA Deleted Column on Possible War With Lithuania

Two people were found hidden in a car aboard a ferry from Tallinn to Helsinki, while the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti published — and then removed — a column discussing a possible military conflict with Lithuania. At the same time, Latvia is expanding electronic surveillance along its borders with Russia and Belarus.

Hidden in a car on the ferry from Tallinn

It was around 12:30 a.m. on Friday, September 25, when the passenger ferry Megastar arrived in Helsinki from Tallinn. During an inspection at the port, Finnish customs officers discovered two people hiding inside a vehicle.

The two are suspected of attempting to enter Finland illegally. Police assisted during the operation, and both the driver and another person in the vehicle were detained on suspicion of arranging illegal entry.

The Finnish Border Guard is examining the case in connection with a route it is already investigating. Migrants are being brought from Belarus into the Schengen Area, particularly across the border into Latvia, before travelling onward through several European countries.

In this case, the route had continued into Estonia, where the two people were taken aboard the ferry bound for Finland.

There is currently no evidence linking this particular case to Russian, Belarusian or other state actors. The incident is nevertheless relevant because it shows how routes originating at the EU’s eastern border can continue through the Baltic states and across the Baltic Sea.

RIA published — then deleted — column on Lithuania

A few hours later, a very different development emerged from Russia.

The Russian state news agency RIA Novosti published a column on Friday by Aleksandr Nosovich under the headline: “Russia Is Waiting for a New SVO. It Will Be Very Short.”

The article discussed the possibility of a Russian military conflict with Lithuania. Nosovich described a scenario in which Russia could launch missile strikes without first deploying ground forces. He also referred to the possible use of missiles carrying nuclear warheads.

The background was the debate in Lithuania over removing a constitutional prohibition on the deployment of weapons of mass destruction and foreign military bases.

The column did not remain online for long.

After roughly three hours, RIA Novosti removed it. On the original page, the agency stated that the article did not reflect the editorial staff’s views, its editorial policy or the state policy of the Russian Federation.

There is therefore no basis for treating the column as an announcement of Russian military policy. What makes the episode notable as an information and influence signal is that a text openly discussing a direct military confrontation with a NATO member state first passed through the editorial system of a Russian state news agency before being withdrawn and publicly disavowed.

Latvia builds its electronic eastern border

Farther south, Latvia is continuing its effort to make the borders with Belarus and Russia harder to cross undetected.

The Latvian Ministry of Transport released new figures on Friday showing the progress of technological upgrades along the country’s eastern border.

On the border with Belarus, surveillance systems covering 62.3 percent of the frontier have now been handed over for use by the Latvian State Border Guard. Along the border with Russia, the corresponding figure is close to 30 percent.

The system includes fiber-optic cables, power supplies, video surveillance, data networks and electronic sensors. The plan also includes the use of artificial intelligence and machine vision to detect movement and other activity along the border and alert operators when something requires closer inspection.

Latvia aims to complete the technological build-out by the end of 2026.