The leading cause of homicide in the Baltic countries is alcohol. What is interesting is that the victims are usually family members and friends, because you drink at the same table and when you argue, you get angry and it ends badly. It is rare that a person is killed without a connection to the killer, and if it does happen, it makes the national headlines.
During the multiple occupations of the Baltic countries, alcohol was used to control the population. The tsar used it, Stalin used it and now Putin uses it. Alcohol helps to escape from reality and provides comfort. It will take time to overcome the alcoholic generations, measures are being taken to help solve the problem, but you can't change a country where for more than a hundred years alcoholism was the norm.
Maybe you're right. I know very little about the history of the baltics, it never came up even once at school. Also news coverage about it is lackluster at best.
Do you have any specific events/timeperiods I should look into?
Idk, maybe the collapse of Yugoslavia? Perhaps the Ottoman rule and aftermath. Different religions tied to different cultures as a deviding factor seem to stand out to me
Edit: I can't read apparently, disregard my comment.