Prelude to invasion? Russia to examine legality of Baltic States' 1991 independence

Old City, Riga, Latvia

It appears that Russia is fashioning a legal pretext for seizing the Baltic States--which are members of NATO.

Expect President Obama to do--nothing.

There will never be a weaker American president--and Vladimir Putin knows that. Will Vladimir Putin take advantage of this opportunity?

From the BBC:

The Russian chief prosecutor's office is to examine whether the Soviet Union acted legally when it recognised the Baltic states' independence in 1991.

The investigation was described as an "absurd provocation" by Lithuania's Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius.

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were occupied by Soviet communist forces in 1940. The USSR broke up in 1991.

Last week Russia's chief prosecutor declared illegal the transfer of Crimea from Russia to Ukraine in 1954.

A bit of clarification is in order. The USSR collapsed on Christmas Day in 1991. However, three months prior, not too long after the failed August coup against Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet Union recognized the independence of the Baltic nations. And after the Soviet seizure of the Baltic States in 1940, most Western nations refused to endorse their incorporation into the Evil Empire.