Estonian armed forces: together with Poland and other countries, we should prevent the Russian blockade of the Baltic Sea

“We have recently significantly improved our maritime defense capabilities. Together with Poland and our new NATO allies, Sweden and Finland, we should be able to prevent a potential Russian blockade of the Baltic Sea,” wrote the commander of the Estonian army, General Martin Herem, in a special report.

“Russia's invasion of Ukraine is only part of a broader strategy,” it was emphasized in the annual report on the activities of the Estonian Armed Forces, published on Friday.

“Revanchist Russia” seeks to reform the European security architecture and regain control over lost territories and extend its influence to areas previously dominated by the Russian Empire and the USSR.

At the same time, it wants to expand the anti-Western buffer to include countries that have successfully joined the West or those that are on the right path to do so, the report says.

In this context, “it is not wrong to compare the present day with the 1930s.” – says General Herem – especially since the Russian elites have turned not only the economy, but also society onto war tracks.

The review paid much attention to the indoctrination of Russian society with war propaganda. However, at the parade of “Putin's Pioneers”, it is difficult to see particularly “enthusiastic faces” – says the caption under a photo from a rally in St. Petersburg, used as an illustration for one of the chapters of the analysis on the Estonian army.

“More difficult and demanding times are probably still ahead of us. However, we have more iron, more people and more wisdom than ever before. This inspires confidence,” concluded the commander of the Estonian Armed Forces, General Martin Herem.