Estonia bolsters border defense amid rising hybrid threats
Estonia plans to create a large reserve unit to patrol the border and counter hybrid threats from Russia and Belarus. Approximately a thousand reservists are expected to be incorporated into it.
1:46 PM EDT, October 20, 2024
According to the Estonian Ministry of Defense, Russia and Belarus may intensify hybrid attacks on the eastern borders of Europe within the next ten years. To counter these threats, Estonia plans to establish a new military formation.
- This year, together with the volunteer paramilitary units and the Defense Forces, we conducted the first test for a small unit. And over the next three years, we plan to recruit this thousand people - said Lauri Läänemets, the Estonian Minister of the Interior.
After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Estonia began actively strengthening its border with Russia and purchasing modern weapons to counter the threat from Russia. The Estonian army also actively exercises with other NATO countries to boost its combat capabilities.
Over the next four years, the Estonian Ministry of Defense will invest approximately 530 million dollars in the development of military infrastructure, including creating new garrisons.
"The influx of migrants is a specific tool"
According to analysts, aggressive actions by Russia in the eastern outskirts of the Union are related to the war in Ukraine and are an attempt to intimidate the European community.
Marek Kohv, head of the security and resilience research program at the International Center for Defense and Security in Tallinn, said that Russia intends to exert pressure on the West in every possible way to reduce Western support for Ukraine. He added, that at the same time, it aims to create problems in our society, raising the question of whether the West should support Ukraine if this support creates various internal threats for us.
Kohv said the influx of migrants is a very specific tool that can be used. However, Estonia is not currently a target country, as he mentioned, adding that the likely targets are Germany, France, and Spain. Nevertheless, Estonia should also be prepared for migration pressure, he emphasized.
According to him, uncontrolled migration in Europe can negatively affect political decisions and public opinion, as is the case in Germany, France, and Spain, for example.
