The Baltics are vital democracies in North-Eastern Europe, but with a 'belligerent' Vladimir Putin to their east - waging war on Ukraine - and 'expansionist' NATO to their west, these NATO members have increasingly been the subject of unsettling headlines in both Western and Russian media. What does this mean for those living in the Baltics - and for the world?

Based on her extensive research and work as a journalist, Aliide Naylor takes us inside the geopolitics of the region. Travelling to the heart of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania she explores modernity in the region, investigates smuggling and troop movements in the borderlands, and explains the countries' unique cultural identities. Naylor tells us why the Baltics matter, more so than ever before, and how the region has inched to the forefront of the frontline in the political struggle between East and West. The Shadow in the East is critical to understanding the long running tensions between Russia and Europe.