“Russia, you can see there,” Jens Aagesen says while pointing through his summerhouse window, straight out across the Baltic Sea toward Kaliningrad. Though hidden by the curvature of the Earth, Russia’s aggression is becoming more relevant on Denmark’s Bornholm. For this isolated island, the geopolitical tension in the Baltic is not a new experience, but the return of an old reality. 

While much of the population continues daily life undisturbed, a slow shift is taking place. Driven by the memories of the Soviet occupation and the modern threat of hybrid war, the islanders who want to be prepared are taking action. Authorities are preparing for emergencies, the military is expanding its presence and the active civilians are warning others of this renewed reality.