In Estonia, the number of adolescents who are ready to provide armed resistance in the event of an attack on the country has increased significantly.
Estonian Defense Minister Kalle Laanet told reporters about it.
Referring to the results of opinion polls, he said that the share of young citizens with such a point of view, compared to last year, increased from 54 to 63%.
“It is noteworthy that in the curricula of schools that give secondary education, the teaching of state defense is considered necessary by 81% of the population.
These figures confirm that the national defense curriculum should be moving forward, ”Laaneta is quoted by the Internet portal Delfi.
The Minister of Defense said that a high level of patriotism remains in Estonia.
So he characterized the data according to which 77% of the population believe that in the event of an attack, the country must resist.
At the same time, according to him, more than half of the citizens are ready to participate in defense.
Also, according to Laanet, the presence of NATO troops in the country is supported by three quarters of the population, and 65% of respondents believe that the deployment of a contingent of foreign troops has increased the security of Estonia.
"52% (of respondents -
RT
) believe that in the event of a conflict, NATO will provide direct military assistance, and 45% believe that NATO membership saves from a military conflict," said Laanet.
Recall that at present, the command and staff center of the North Atlantic Alliance, a multinational NATO battalion and a unit of the armored brigade of the US Armed Forces, which are located in the republic on a rotational basis, are deployed in Estonia.
Also, foreign armed forces use the Amari airbase for their needs.
The decision to deploy the alliance contingent in Estonia was made at the 2016 Warsaw Summit with the aim of "containing Russia."
In particular, this was stated by the general secretary of the military bloc Jens Stoltenberg.
In addition to Estonia, NATO troops have been deployed in Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.
Moscow believes that the Western military bloc is engaged in containing the "non-existent" threat from the East. "
"Elements of Madness"
On February 23, on the air of the Estonian Public Broadcasting Corporation (Eesti Rahvusringhääling, ERR), Laanet stated that the greatest threat to the republic's security is precisely Russian policy.
“In 2008, after the war in Georgia, it was decided that the mercenary army of Estonia was not suitable.
Before that, they said in Europe that there would be no war, Russia is our great ally and we are one big European family.
In reality, everything turned out differently, ”said Laanet.
In particular, the Minister of Defense of Estonia urged to take "seriously" the Russian strategic command and staff exercises (SCSHU) "West-2021", which will be held from 10 to 16 September.
“If you look at the readiness in the Western Military District to carry out the orders of the Kremlin, then it is significantly higher than, for example, in the Southern District.
For us, this indicates a high risk, ”said Laanet.
The Minister of Defense believes that Estonia may allegedly be attacked by the Russian Federation.
In his opinion, Moscow is ready to unleash a war due to "socio-economic" problems within Russia.
“The current security situation shows that our main threat may still come from the East, that is, from Russia,” Laanet told Estonian journalists at the end of January.
In mid-February, the Estonian Foreign Intelligence Department published a report stating that Moscow continues to pose a potential military threat to the republic.
The agency fears that within the framework of the upcoming exercises "West-2021" Russia will concentrate tens of thousands of troops near the borders of Estonia.
Training of the Estonian Self-Defense Forces
© Estonian Ministry of Defense
In an interview with RT, the head of the Center for Post-Soviet Studies at the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences Leonid Vardomsky noted that the myth of the "threat from the East" has become an obsession of the Estonian authorities, and thanks to large-scale propaganda, a significant part of the republic's population, including the younger generation, has been "infected" with Russophobic alarmism.
“There are elements of madness in what is happening in Estonia.
By using Russophobia and squeezing out an alternative view of Russia, the Estonian leadership distracts people from internal problems.
And now, according to the results of opinion polls, the younger generation perceives Russia as an enemy, and patriotism means, first of all, the struggle with the eastern neighbor, ”Vardomsky said.
According to Vladislav Vorotnikov, leading researcher at the Center for European Studies at the Institute for International Studies at MGIMO, the growth of Russophobia in Estonia is a natural consequence of the consistent policy of the country's authorities.
In a commentary on RT, the expert stated that the leadership of the Baltic republic had achieved results in this field.
“In general, patriotism and readiness to defend their homeland are the normal state of any healthy society.
Another question is that in Estonia the influential part of the political class and the media have been shaping the image of Russia as an enemy for several years now, ”Vorotnikov stressed.
Dear loyalty
In order to defend against Russia and strengthen the defense capability, the Estonian leadership intends to deepen cooperation with other Baltic states and NATO member states, including the United States.
In addition, Tallinn intends to continue re-equipping its own troops.
Thus, the development program of the Estonian Defense Ministry for 2022-2025 provides for the acquisition of new military equipment and ammunition, the introduction of a sea mining and coastal defense system, as well as the further development of self-propelled artillery units.
Artillerymen of the Armed Forces of Estonia
© Estonian Ministry of Defense
In addition to the regular army units, new weapons are to enter the volunteer military formation "Defense League".
Such plans dictate the need to constantly increase military spending.
Thus, at the end of January, Major General Martin Herem, Commander of the Estonian Defense Forces, called on the country's authorities to increase defense spending to 6.5% of GDP, which is several times higher than the level of financial requirements for NATO member countries, which is 2% of the gross domestic product.
Herem believes that the increase in budgetary spending on the army will enable Estonia to resist the "attack of Russia" for a long time.
According to Leonid Vardomsky, the spread of Russophobic sentiments allows the Estonian leadership to push through the parliament unbearable budget expenditures for the purchase of military equipment, which should fight "mythical military threats."
In a commentary to RT, the head of the Bureau of Military-Political Analysis, Alexander Mikhailov, said that the Estonian authorities are deliberately militarizing the country in order to turn it into an outpost to "contain" Russia and conduct a "hybrid war" against Moscow.
“Increasing purchases of military equipment is completely senseless.
No matter how you increase costs, Estonia will not have enough resources to create a strong army, and the West, as we can see, is in no hurry to supply modern weapons.
The most that Tallinn can buy is the outdated equipment of the EU and the USA, ”Mikhailov said.
According to the expert, the Russophobic course has long turned for Estonia into a way of expressing loyalty to the United States.
In turn, the United States is using the small Baltic republic as a springboard for exercises and provocations near Russian borders.
“Estonia is doing everything it can to make its status as a Washington vassal a matter of national pride.
Tallinn empties its pockets buying NATO equipment in case of war.
But what kind of war can there be with Estonia?
Firstly, Moscow is not going to attack, and secondly, the forces are completely incomparable.
Tallinn's militaristic plans cause nothing but a smile, ”Mikhailov summed up.