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it was divided before. 25% of the population identify as Russian and only speak Russian. In Estonia and Lithuania you get large pockets in border areas (see Narva in Estonia which is 80% Russian and is one of the biggest shitholes I've set foot in). The divide wasn't really between the Baltic countries and Russia, per se, but rather between the indigenous population and those who identify as Russian. Theres a lot of tolerance for that community, even though they can't speak the language of the countries they were born and have always lived in. For example, if you want a government job, or to work in a bank, you must be billingual. Street signage is frequently billingual, and there are Russian language media outlets, both TV and print.
That tolerance level is definitely dropping. But just among the general population. There is nothing official from the government about how that section of the population are treated, though there have been announcements about the Russian state. The monuments thing is a natural extension of that, and the hope among the indigenous population is that they will start to phase Russian out more and more. For example, by giving a 10-year deadline to remove Russian as an official language, and thus its being a requirement for government jobs or banks. That will force that part of the population to either learn the country's language, or fuck off back to their motherland.
There is a lot of pro-Ukranian stuff everywhere you go. Some of the Russian lads were defacing it and attacking it. There were also assaults on Ukranian refugees. So, they haven't helped their own cause.
Among the older generation in border regions, many old people still look fondly on soviet times. They see it as a time when everyone had a job, heating was free, and everyone had food. But they mention nothing about having zero freedom to have opinions, and that having them would see you transported to Siberia, never to be seen again.
