The closer we get to Russia, the more the “air of war” is felt. Less than 100 kilometers from the border, the Tapa military base is close enough to the Russian bear for the threat to be palpable. After all, the war in Ukraine is not far away: 700 kilometers. It is also in Tapa that NATO has deployed since 2016 a Franco-British battalion of 1,300 fighters (including 300 French) aimed at strengthening the eastern flank of Europe, decided after the annexation of Crimea.
On a war footing, the garrison resembles a hive with its Estonian, British and French soldiers; and its vehicles which come and go, en route to a mission or an exercise. The base itself is a moving body: it is enriched every month with a new barracks and a brand new hangar in order to accommodate the growing number of soldiers and equipment. As for the general staff, it regularly receives international visitors, especially politicians and military personnel eager to see what a NATO outpost looks like. To these guests, Estonian Colonel Andrus Merillo, who, like the entire troop, wears a “Slava Ukraïna” (Glory to Ukraine) badge on his fatigues, repeats that the Russians will never give up the idea of attacking, a day, the Baltic countries. “At this stage, our main job is to get rid of fear; and that has already been done: we will never back down!” asserts the imposing officer with the Viking beard.
Estonia, NATO border with Russia
© / Estonia map n°3757
Tapa is also a training center for young Ukrainian recruits. “We have trained a good thousand since the start of the conflict,” continues Colonel Merillo. A little further away, in the shade of a hangar, an Estonian lieutenant who teaches the handling of the CV-90 personnel carrier, an armored vehicle on tracks stuffed with electronics, observes: “They want to learn and “They learn quickly. They know that this vehicle has proven itself in Afghanistan and that it can save their lives.”
Military training is only part of the aid provided by Estonia (1.3 million people) to Ukraine (43 million inhabitants before the war). The least populated country in the European Union (after Malta and Luxembourg), the Baltic Republic is also the one which – in relation to the number of inhabitants – contributes the most to international aid towards Kiev. To begin with, Tallinn devotes 1% of its national budget to direct military aid to kyiv. An unrivaled proportion on the Old Continent. “From the start of the war, we gave Ukraine all our Javelin rocket launchers, all our towed howitzers and all our mobile artillery guns, which we replaced with South Korean K9 Thunder equipment,” says again Colonel Merilllo by showing us a hangar full of combat uniforms intended for the Kiev army.
The Ukrainian flag raised on all public buildings
Little Estonia also acts on a humanitarian level, welcoming a considerable number of refugees. Since the invasion, their numbers have doubled from 30,000 [des réfugiés du Donbass et de Crimée arrivés entre 2014 et 2022, NDLR] at 60,000! “This is equivalent to 6% of our population, a record among NATO countries,” says former President of the Republic Toomas Hendrik Ilves (2006-2016). And new ones arrive every day at the customs post. from Narva who, after leaving their country, benefit in turn from a generous reception policy”, he adds. Their first surprise is to see that everywhere, on every public building, the yellow and blue flag of Ukraine is flying.
Less visible, help in the field of cybersecurity is even more significant. In this area, the Estonians have developed world-class expertise since they were the target of the first massive cyberattack against a State, in 2007. Directed simultaneously against Parliament, ministries, banks and the media, it was following the very controversial unbolting of a statue glorifying the Red Army, which led to a diplomatic crisis between Tallinn and Moscow.
Given the advance Estonia has taken in terms of digitalization since independence in 1991, NATO logically decided to install its cyber defense center in Tallinn the following year. Since 2008, he has coordinated the cyber policy of the allies, developed a doctrine and annually simulates a gigantic exercise which mobilizes hundreds of geeks and soldiers. Added to this is the Ukrainian cyber defense which, at the same time and in the shadows, fights day and night against cyber attacks directed against Ukraine. “Since the start of the conflict, their staggering number has exceeded 6,000,” we learn from an Estonian officer.
This all-out solidarity of Estonians can be explained by history. From 1941 to 1991, their country was occupied by the Soviet Union. “During this half century, a fifth of the population was murdered or deported to Siberia by the occupiers,” explained to L’Express at the beginning of the summer, Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, whose own mother was sent deported at the age of… six months. For fifty years, Moscow “Russified” the Baltic Republic: at the start of the occupation, Russians represented 3% of the population; by the end, in 1991, it was 30%. “All of this explains why we identify with Ukrainians,” she added. “When we see what is happening to them, it is the suffering of our parents and grandparents that we see. Helping them is a moral obligation for us. “
In power since January 2021, the Prime Minister has built an international image as an Iron Lady thanks to her powerful anti-Kremlin positions. In May, for example, she proposed to European leaders to join efforts to quickly provide 1 million shells to Ukraine. But, in an unexpected twist, here is Kaja Kallas, today splashed by a scandal concerning her husband.
At the end of August, a journalistic investigation revealed that the latter’s transport company had continued to do business in Russia during the war. This was undoubtedly without the knowledge of the center-right leader. But the damage is done. Estonian President Alar Karis (independent), who does not have the power to remove her from office, has publicly called for her resignation. He told her again in private, but the person concerned, despite the strong pressure, refused. Will leave? Won’t leave? The only certainty is that these setbacks delight Russia. With or without it, the Estonians will not reduce their war effort. The reason ? It is a young civil servant from the Ministry of Defense who delivers it: “We know the Russians by heart; they leave us no choice…”