> A quick question - how can a person born in a Baltic state and living there their whole life end up without citizenship?
The people in question are ethnic Russians who CHOOSE to not get a citizenship. They choose this, beccause people in Baltics without citizenship have the right to travel both within the EU and in Russia without a visa. Just to make it extra clear, let me draw you a table of a citizenship matrix in Estonia:
Estonian citizen - can travel within EU, needs visa for Russia
Russian citizen - needs visa for EU, can travel within Russia
No citizenship - can travel within EU, can travel within Russia
They can convert themselves to a Russian citizen at any time. They don't do it, because they don't want to actually live in Russia. They just want to be able to go there regularly for family and friends.
In the 1990s Estonian citizenship was given to any resident who asked for it, zero requirements. The people who remain stateless today rejected the proposal. Nowadays its more difficult to get Estonian citizenship, but still within reach for plenty of these people. They just don't want to do it, again, because they have friends and family in Russia - and Estonian citizens can't freely travel to Russia.
They can still vote for local elections and work. So there isn't really a strong incentive to care.
The best incentive for getting an actual citizenship is for those who want to travel beyond EU & Russia, because the global world doesn't give these stateless people special rights.
The people in question are ethnic Russians who CHOOSE to not get a citizenship. They choose this, beccause people in Baltics without citizenship have the right to travel both within the EU and in Russia without a visa. Just to make it extra clear, let me draw you a table of a citizenship matrix in Estonia:
Estonian citizen - can travel within EU, needs visa for Russia
Russian citizen - needs visa for EU, can travel within Russia
No citizenship - can travel within EU, can travel within Russia