PSKOV, Russia: Europe’s Baltic states lie just half an hour away — sealed off and on edge — from the Russian border city of Pskov, where the locals shrug off fears their country will attack as they play their part in supporting Moscow’s army fighting in Ukraine.
Beneath the round towers of Pskov’s medieval fortress, fishermen cast their rods into the dark waters of the Velikaya — “Great” — river that runs through the city.
“Russia starts here,” read large white letters installed along the river bank in front of the citadel’s modest gold and grey onion-shaped domes.
NATO and EU members Estonia and Latvia are just 30 and 60 kilometers (18 and 36 miles) to the west.
Since Russia launched its offensive on Ukraine in 2022, both have tightened their borders and repeatedly expressed concerns that they could be next.
