Thursday, November 18, 2021
Military exercise started
Estonia strengthens its border with Russia
Although Estonia is not a neighbor of Belarus, it still wants to prepare for possible crises on its external border. As part of a military maneuver, a barbed wire fence is to be erected on the border with Russia.
Estonia started an unannounced military exercise on Wednesday to build a barbed wire barrier on the EU country’s eastern border with Russia. According to the government in Tallinn, almost 1,700 reserve soldiers are called up for this purpose.
The main purpose of the exercise, which will last until November 25, is to test the operational readiness and chains of command of the command structure. The government announced that cooperation should also be practiced with the police and border protection authorities. “What is happening in Poland, Lithuania and Latvia also requires a strengthening of the border infrastructure in Estonia,” said authority chief Elmar Vaher. The barrier is to be installed at up to ten border sections where there is an increased risk of illegal border crossing.
The situation on the EU’s eastern external border has deteriorated dramatically since last week. “The security situation is indeed dangerous and tense,” said Prime Minister Kaja Kallas in parliament, referring to the events on the Polish-Belarusian border. However, there is currently no direct threat to the Estonian border. Unlike the other two Baltic states Lithuania and Latvia, Estonia is not a direct neighbor of Belarus.