By Kyle Herda

Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

PARIS, France – A French tourist to Algeria was killed in a beheading by an Algerian jihadist group linked to the Islamic State. The group, Jund al-Khilafah, kidnapped Hervé Gourdel on Sunday, the day after he arrived in Algeria, and after putting out a video threatening Gourdel’s life if France does not stop aiding the US coalition in the Middle East, the group followed up with a video showing his alleged murder.

Facing the threat of Gourdel’s death should the bombings not cease, France insisted that it would not back down from the attacks. Following the new video depicting the beheading, French President Francois Hollande condemned the group’s actions as “cruel and cowardly.” Hollande went on to declare that “France will never give in to blackmail, to pressure, to barbaric acts… Quite to the contrary… The fight against terrorism will be pursued and accelerated as much as necessary with the respect for law.”

While it is unclear exactly what the link is between this group and ISIS, the video is a very similar style to the previous three videos released by ISIS depicting the beheadings of two Americans and one British citizen. While at least 40 nations have promised to support the move against ISIS, France has gained extra attention from the terrorist group. France was the first nation to join the United States in conducting bombings on ISIS targets in Iraq.

While past Western victims of the brutal beheading videos have been either journalists or humanitarian workers, Gourdel was merely in Algeria to hike and explore caves. While traveling through Algeria, armed militants grabbed Gourdel and took him captive. This was likely in response to the expanded airstrikes against the Islamic State in Syria, as over 200 missiles have already hit targets across Syria. Even though Algeria is about 2,000 miles away from Syria, Algeria is not the only country with an ISIS presence within, as Libya has also been a worry to the French.

The Islamic State has already threatened to behead yet another British aid worker, Alan Henning. This recent video signals that ISIS and their allies are not going to stop simply because other countries have decided to begin fighting back.

For more information, please see:

USA Today – Jihadist video claims beheading of French hostage – 24 September 2014

ABC – ISIS Supporters Appear to Behead French Captive – 24 September 2014

Daily News – Algerian terrorists behead kidnapped French mountain guide – 24 September 2014

New York Post – Algerian ISIS group threatens to behead French captive – 23 September 2014

By Kyle Herda

Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

VILNIUS, Lithuania – Russia has made yet another aggressive move towards Eastern Europe, this time targeting Lithuania. A fishing boat off the coast of Lithuania was seized yesterday by Russia while in international waters. Russia’s Federal Security Service says that border guards were correct by seizing the boat, claiming that it contained an illegal 15-ton haul of crab and strayed into Russian waters. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius states that the vessel’s satellite system proves that it was in international waters.

Sweden also claims further aggression by Russia took place this week when two Russian warplanes entered into Swedish airspace. Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt called this a “grave violation”, prompting him to lodge a formal protest with the Russian ambassador in Stockholm. In addition to this incident, Russian warplanes also entered into Finland last month, and were intercepted close to Canada and also the United States. Part of the concern for Finland and Sweden is that they are not currently NATO members, which has prompted both nations this month to upgrade their level of cooperation with NATO members.

There are three actions NATO members will be taking part in this week that may be prompting further Russian aggression. First, NATO is conducting exercises in the Black Sea, likely in response to Russia’s first Varshavyanka-class submarine entering into Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. NATO’s exercises will include Romania, Bulgaria, the United States, the UK, Germany, Greece, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada, and Turkey.

Second, NATO’s new rapid reaction force, created earlier this month in direct response to Russia’s involvement in the Ukrainian conflict, is going to be discussed this weekend in Vilnius. This new force is meant to provide a fast response to any possible Russian military action in the Baltics against NATO members. The meeting this weekend is for the purpose of going over details of the force.

Third, Ukraine, Poland, and Lithuania have agreed to create a joint military force this year. The force will be headquartered in the Polish city of Lublin, near the border of Ukraine. Interfax-Ukraine news has reported that this joint force will contain 545 Ukrainian troops, 3,000-3,800 Polish servicemen, and 150-350 soldiers from Lithuania. While this idea was first tossed about in 2007 but never agreed on, Russian aggression this year has made the necessity for such a force all the more apparent.

As militarization on both the east and west continues to grow, signs of successful diplomacy to settle tensions seems to be growing weaker. However, fighting in Ukraine appears less severe than two weeks ago, partly due to two negotiations between the parties involved. Fighting has yet to altogether seize, but it seems that diplomacy may still be a realistic option.

For more information, please see:

DW – US fighter planes intercept Russian combat jets off Alaska, Sweden protests ‘violation’ – 20 September 2014

Bloomberg – Lithuania Says Russia Seized Ship as Baltic Tensions Grow – 19 September 2014

RT – Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania to form joint military force – 19 September 2014

The Wall Street Journal – Sweden Complains to Russia Over Airspace Violation – 19 September 2014

The Guardian – Baltic states wary as Russia takes more strident tone with neighbours – 18 September 2014

RT – NATO stages Black Sea naval drills – 17 September 2014

By Kyle Herda

Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

VILNIUS, Lithuania – In Russia’s most recent move against the Baltic states of Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania, Moscow has sought to reopen criminal investigations into Lithuanian residents who refused to serve in the Soviet army after Lithuania declared dependence in 1990. An estimated 1500 young people refused the orders nearly 25 years ago, and now Russia wants them to pay.

While Russia has already made this same request once prior, roughly ten years ago, the surrounding context now makes the situation more dire. The recent abduction of the Estonian border guard, coupled with Russia’s current attempt to prosecute him for allegedly spying, has forced the Lithuanian State Security Department to advise Lithuanians who withdrew from the Soviet army in 1990 to refrain from traveling outside of Lithuania, or at least outside of any European Union or NATO countries.

Lithuanian President, Dalia Grybauskaite, has taken the additional step to establish certain strategic sectors of the Lithuanian economy as those that should have major investments first vetted to the government. This comes as a matter of national security after a Russian-led company leased two large plots of land next to Siauliai airport, where NATO planes patrol the Baltic skies. NATO currently has Operation Reassurance based in Siauliai, and the aims of this operation are to preserve NATO European airspace and safeguard NATO nations from air attacks, specifically in response to Russia’s recent aggressions in eastern Europe.

Russia has also flown jets close to Baltic borders over 140 times this year, and recently successfully tested its new Bulava Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (“ICBM”) with a range of 8,000 kilometers. Russia has recently spoken out about securing the rights and interests of ethnic Russians. Russia’s Foreign Ministry chief monitor of human rights overseas, Konstantin Dolgov, in a speech in Latvia’s capital, Riga, said, “It has to be stated with sadness that a huge number of our compatriots abroad, whole segments of the Russian world, continue to face serious problems in securing their rights and lawful interests.”

As long as the military remains involved on both sides of the border, there will remain worry and uneasy feelings for all parties involved. On the one hand, worries in the Baltics are completely justified, as the situation in Ukraine prior to both Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the subsequent invasion by Russia of eastern Ukraine draws many parallels to what we are seeing now in Russia’s behavior towards the Baltic States. On the other hand, the situation in the Baltics differs from Ukraine in that NATO has already stated that a military response would come for the Baltic States in the event of a Russian invasion, citing Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty as justification of such an event.

So while concerns that this may be Crimea all over again carry heavy weight, they may not be entirely justified. While the situation began very similarly, the implications here if events continue down the same path would result in a very different, and potentially much bloodier, outcome. Perhaps this will deter either side from pushing too far, or perhaps this will allow for a much greater escalation in events.

For more information, please see:

Ottawa Citizen – Photos: CF-18 and F-16 Falcons over Lithuania – 17 September 2014

Reuters – Lithuania to vet more investments for national security risks – 17 September 2014

Baltic Review – Lithuanians Strongly Advised to Refrain from Traveling to Countries Outside the EU or NATO – 17 September 2014

The Baltic Times – More Russian jets near Baltic borders cause for concern, says army chief – 17 September 2014

The Moscow Times – Russia Sees Need to Protect Russian Speakers in NATO Baltic States – 16 September 2014

Canada National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces – Operation REASSURANCE – 12 September 2014

The Moscow Times – Russia Proves Nuclear Muscle With Ballistic Missile Launch – 10 September 2014