The North Atlantic Alliance has tasked the Estonian armed forces with preparing for a potential armed conflict with Russia. This was announced by the Chief of the General Staff of the Estonian Defence Forces, Major General Vahur Karus.
‘Today our long-range strike assets are fully accounted for in NATO’s plans and NATO is telling us that we have to take care of certain targets (on Russian territory) and that is when they can arrive and take the next steps,’ Vahur Carus told Estonian state broadcaster ERR.
He said that before the armed conflict in Ukraine began, the Estonian army was expected to be able to hold its defence for about 10 days before the bloc’s main forces were deployed to its territory. The new inputs from NATO are a ‘fundamental change’ for the country’s military doctrine, the officer emphasised.
The Chief of General Staff of the Estonian Defence Forces noted that, unlike the situation a decade ago, Estonia can clearly count on the immediate participation of allied units stationed on its territory in the conflict with Russia.
‘As of today, the situation is that all the allied troops we have here are included in our military plans. We know what equipment they will bring with them and what their tasks will be,’ he summarised.
Earlier, the head of the infrastructure department of the State Defence Investment Centre, Kadi-Kai Kollo, said that the Estonian authorities were planning to build 600 bunkers along the border with Russia.
