Estonia was one of the countries that first warned of Russia’s intention to invade Ukraine. Recently, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, even apologized for the fact that the EU did not listen.
While Estonia sees no imminent threat of invasion itself, Russia is seen as an erratic neighbor that always needs to be actively managed. NATO membership plays a decisive role.
Other NATO countries are reinforcing
Estonia’s largest military base, Tapa, is approximately 13 kilometers from the border with its neighbor to the east. Although the soldiers are doing the same things as before, the seriousness has increased after Russia invaded Ukraine. On the military base, Estonia is supported by troops from the NATO countries France, Great Britain and Denmark.
Estonia’s five decades under Soviet occupation are still firmly in the muscle memory, so the security threat is nothing new. The country has been ready ever since independence in 1991.
“Russia would not succeed”
Estonia was one of the first countries to accept Sweden and Finland as NATO members. The country sees big profits if the map in northern Europe is now completed soon.
– Both Sweden and Finland have impressive defense capabilities. If they join NATO, Russia would never succeed in a military operation in this area, says Andrus Merilo, commander of Estonia’s 1st Infantry Brigade.
In the player above: Come along to the military base and hear the foreign minister: “Then nobody in Europe would sleep well”