"A real provocation": the US and British military parachuted in Estonia

Soldiers from the United States of America and the United Kingdom landed in Estonia tonight as part of the Swift Response exercise, one of the largest military exercises in Europe over the past 25 years - Defender Europe 2021.

Paratroopers from the 82nd US Airborne Division and the 16th Air Assault Brigade of Great Britain are practicing joint landing operations, making their way from Fort Bragg (North Carolina) to Estonia to participate in the Swift Response 2021!

- stated in the message of the Twitter account of the command of the US Armed Forces in Europe and Africa.

#HappeningNow: 🇺🇸 @ 82ndABNDiv & 🇬🇧 @ 16AirAssltBde # Paratroopers conduct Joint Forcible Entry operations from #FortBragg, North Carolina, into 🇪🇪 #Estonia for #SwiftResponse 2021!

🪂 # DefenderEurope @ PantherBrigade @ USEmbTallinn @ FORSCOM @ USArmy @ 18airbornecorpspic.twitter.com / mmmftv8sfa

- US Army Europe and Africa (@USArmyEURAF) May 7, 2021

At the same time, the media, citing the press service of the Estonian Defense Forces, clarify that more than 700 American paratroopers, who arrived directly from the American state of North Carolina, took part in the landing.

At the same time, the landing of the military at the Nurmsi airfield took place "in a tactical situation as close as possible to the real one."

All elements of the large-scale exercises Defender Europe 2021, in which various operations will be carried out in more than 30 training zones located in 12 countries - mainly in the states of South-Eastern Europe, the Balkans and the Baltic States.

More than 28 thousand servicemen from 26 states will be involved in them.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby called these maneuvers "defensive", and also expressed complaints against Moscow in connection with the fact that the Russian side with its maneuvers allegedly aggravates tension in the region, since, according to him, does not talk about their goals.

However, back on April 27, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, at a meeting of the Council of Defense Ministers of the CSTO member states in Dushanbe, pointed out: “Recently, only the lazy has not joined the chorus of accusations against Russia on any occasion.

Either I do not like the conduct of exercises on our territory, or the return of troops to the points of permanent deployment is annoying.

And someone decided to warn us about the consequences of our activity on our own territory.

I want to emphasize: we do not accept such warnings. "

The Defense Minister added that Moscow is closely monitoring the progress of the transfer and deployment of NATO forces in Europe as part of the Defender Europe 2021 exercise. Shoigu drew attention to the fact that the actions of the United States and NATO are leading to an increase in the military threat on the European continent.

“The military infrastructure is being modernized, the intensity of operational and combat training is growing, and the American“ four to thirty ”concept is being implemented.

Nationalist sentiments are heating up in Ukraine, which provokes an armed conflict in the Donbass, including in the regions bordering on Russia, ”said the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation.

"Specially provoke Russia"

In a conversation with RT, the first deputy head of the international committee of the Federation Council, Vladimir Dzhabarov, reproached the United States of America for hypocritical statements regarding Russia's military activities.

“Without a doubt, this is a real provocation.

When we move troops on our territory, it is considered a threat to all countries, and the fact that they sent their contingent to Estonia is considered the norm.

Moreover, it was once promised that this country would be a passive member of NATO, and now it is being turned into an active target for a possible retaliatory strike.

Here it is, double standards.

I think this is simply unacceptable.

They deliberately provoke us to some actions in order to brand us as aggressors and punish us with sanctions, ”the senator said.

In turn, military expert Alexei Leonkov pointed out that Western countries, primarily from the NATO bloc, are purposefully considering Russia as an enemy state.

“Jens Stoltenberg has said more than once that this kind of exercise is a kind of message towards Russia that NATO is united and by a demonstration of force seeks to contain Russia.

There was a presentation of a new strategy of the North Atlantic Alliance, which speaks of "aggressive actions" and a challenge from the Russian Federation.

Therefore, this kind of exercise is purposeful, "- explained the interlocutor of RT.

He also stated about the use of double standards by representatives of Western structures, who declare that Russia lacks "transparency" regarding the exercises, and also recalled various NATO maneuvers with the participation of Ukraine, which openly talk about an armed confrontation with Russia.

“And our observers are not invited to these exercises.

At the same time, they blatantly lie that we did not submit an application.

It’s just so accepted that we are not invited.

We always invite them to our teachings, and no country is indicated in our exercises, we have a "conditional enemy" there, - Leonkov noted.

At the same time, Doctor of Military Sciences Konstantin Sivkov, in an interview with RIA Novosti, called the American landing in Estonia another element of building up NATO forces near the Russian borders: "That is, this is an increase in threats against our country, this must be clearly understood."