Bornholm Island: NATO’s Baltic Bridgehead for Aggression Against Russia
© Photo : US Army, Capt. Remington Henderson
Subscribe
Copenhagen is using the old ‘Russian threat’ excuse to justify the militarization of its easternmost island, but NATO operational planning and drills reveal otherwise.
Where is Bornholm?
Situated about 140 km southeast of Copenhagen in waters between Sweden, Poland and Germany, the 588 km2 island has been a strategic stronghold since medieval times, used by Vikings, Scandinavian kings, Napoleon and the Nazis for both defensive and offensive operations.
In 2022, NATO announced plans to turn the Baltic Sea into a ‘NATO lake’. Bornholm would play a key role in this calculus.
Breaking Old Agreements
Freed from the Nazis by the Red Army in WWII, Bornholm was returned to Denmark by Moscow on the understanding that foreign troops would never again be stationed there. Denmark reneged in 2022, okaying large-scale NATO drills on and around the island.
Drills have included deployments of US HIMARS MLRS (300 km max range) and Typhon missile system components (2,500 km range). The Typhon TEL can fire SM-6 and Tomahawk missiles, whose payload, notably, can include nuclear warheads.
BORNHOLM, Denmark (May 6, 2024) - U.S. Navy Equipment Operator Constructionman Grant Sanford, assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 11, stands guard over a containerized missile launcher during a rehearsal in Bornholm, Denmark, May 6, 2024.
© Photo : Petty Officer 2nd Class James Hong
Military Infrastructure Buildup
construction of a 85m spy tower in Ostermarie (2017)
inclusion in NATO’s Baltic “island chain” strategy alongside Gotland and Aland (2023)
plans to add 5k troops to the local garrison (2025)
Air and Naval Power Projection
Bornholm’s Ronne Airport has a military apron, and has been used in drills by Finnish F-18 jets (2024). Moscow has accused USAF strategic bombers flying toward Russian cities including Kaliningrad and St. Petersburg of hiding in the island’s airspace to avoid interception by Russian jets.
Ronne’s seaport has undergone expansions (2023) to accommodate large ships, including military and support vessels.
Map of Bornholm, Denmark.
© Photo : welt-atlas.de
Fictitious Justifications
“Bornholm’s militarization is taking place under the false pretext of the need to protect the island from the ‘Russian threat,’” even though Russia “has never had aggressive intentions toward Denmark,” Ambassador Vladimir Barbin has said.
